
CIass_ 

Rank ,F 









T L.LI. 



THE 



AMERICAN GENERALS, 



FROM THE FOUNDING OF 



THE REPUBLIC TO THE PRESENT TIME. 



COMPRISING 



LIVES OF THE GREAT COMMANDERS, 



AND OTHER 



Pist'mcjuisljcu Officers roljo Ijaue actca in tl)c Gcracc 



UNITED STATES 



EMBRACING A COMPLETE MILITARY HISTORY OF THE COUNTRY. 



BY JOHN FROST, LL.D. 

author of "piotorial history of the "world," "pictorial history 
of tee united states," etc. etc 



ILLUSTRATED WITH SIS HUNDRED AND FORT^ ENGRAVINGS, 
FROM DESIGNS BY CKOOME, DEVEREUX AND OTHER DISTINGUISHED ARTISTS. 



HARTFORD: 

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY CASE, TIFFANY & COMPANY, 

PEAIIL STREET, CORNEIt OF Till 51HULL. 

1850. 



Eisi 



Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1848, by 

JOHN FROST, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 




STEREOTYPED BY GEORGE CHARLES, 

Ho. 9 George Street, Fhii^adelfhia. 




The production of the work now offered to the public, is 
the result of a want which has been long and sensibly felt. 
Although there are several collections of lives of American 
officers, there is none which comes down to a very recent 
period, and none which contains a large number of lives. 
The occurrence of the war with Mexico has awakened a 
lively curiosity respecting the personal history of the officers 
who have distinguished themselves of late ; and this has led 
to a fresh desire for general information respecting the mili- 
tary history of the country. To meet this desire the present 
work has been written. 

Every work of this class must necessarily be chiefly a 
compilation. In preparing these biographies I have had 
recourse to the collections of Wilson and Rogers, and to 
several anonymous works of the same class, published soon 
after the revolution. Many of the lives of the revolutionary 
officers, as well as of those who served in the last war with 
England, and the present war with Mexico, have been com- 
posed from materials furnished by their relatives, verified by 
a great mass of official documents in my own possession. 

For several daguerreotypes of officers, I am under obliga- 
tions to the kindness of Messrs. Van Loan of Washington, 



4 PREFACE. 

and Root, and Simons, of Philadelphia. 1 am also indebted 
to Mr. Peale, the gentlemanly proprietor of the Philadelphia 
Museum, for his courteous permission to copy portraits from 
his extensive and valuable collection. To the Trustees of 
the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, also, my thanks are due 
for permission to copy Colonel Trumbull's splendid pictures 
of the battles of Princeton and Trenton, and the portraits of 
Colonel Humphreys and Colonel Wadsworth. The attention 
paid by Mr. Croome to the artistical embellishment of the 
work deserves my cordial acknowledgment. The landmarks 
of history and biography left by his fertile pencil will remai a 
a perpetual monument to his praise. 







GEORGE WASHINGTON, COMMAXDElt IN CHIEF,. 

RICHARD MONTGOMERT, 

FIlEDEniCK WILLIAM AUGUSTUS STEUBEN, ... 

HORATIO GATES, 

NATHANIEL GREENE, 

ANTHONY WAYNE, 

OTHO H. WILLIAMS, 

BENEDICT ARNOL1. 

ARTnUR ST. CLAIR, 

JOHN SULLITAN, 

THOMAS SUMPTER, 

JOSEPH REED, 

ETHAN ALLEN 

DANIEL MORGAN 

JOHN EAGER HOWARD, 

JOHN JAMES, 

ntsny knox, 

BENJAMIN LINCOLN, 

JOHN LAURENS 

CHARLES LEE, 

WILLIAM ALEXANDER, 

WILLIAM DAVIDSON, 

•WILLIAM RICHARDSON DAVIE, 

FRANCIS MARION, 

ISRAEL PUTNAM, 

WILLIAM MOULTRIE 

JOHN STARK, 

JOSEPH WARREN, 

WILLLIAM WASHINGTON 

JAMES CLINTON, 



FAaK. 

.. 13 



.. 72 

. . 88 
.. 99 
. 110 
. 13G 
. 147 

150 
. 166 
. 173 
. 177 
. 182 
. 2011/' 
. 208 
. 216 
. 230 
. 234 
. 241 
. 249 
. 253 
. 263 
. 265 
. 268 

272 
. 280 
. 298 
. 303 
. 313 
. 327 
. 330 

5 



6 CONTENTS. 

FAGS 
GEORGE CLINTON 338 

ANDREW PICKENS, 345 

PHILIP SCHUYLER, 350 

JEREMIAH WAD9WORTH, 356 

HUGH MERCER, 361 

THOMAS MIFFLIN, 367 

DAVID HUMPHREYS, 371 

JOHN TRUMBULL, 375 

JOBS IASGDOS, 392 

AARON BURR, 396 

ALEXANDER HAMILTON 409 

WILLIAM HEATH, 416 

ZEBCLON BUTLER, 423 

ANTHONY WALTON WHITE 433 

JONATHAN WILLIAMS 440 

FRANCIS BARBEn 444 

THADDEUS KOSCIUSKO, 446 

MORGAN LEWIS, 453 

DAVID WOOSTER 456 

john BnooKs 459 

iiahox de kalb, ' 463 

george r. huh. 468 

william smallwood, 472 

aRmand tufin, ' 474 

count pulaski 476 

seth warner, 479 

gilbert mottier la fayette, 489 

henry ike 518 

lachlan imc intosh, 522 

james jackson, 525 

peter muhlenberg, 528 

chhtstophkr gadsden, 530 

henry rkarborx, 534 

john cadwalader, 547 

fexeg wadswoktii 551 

william prescott, 557 

john frost 561 

ahtemas ward, 564 

william f.aton 565 



CONTENTS. 1 

PAGE. 

JAMES WILKINSON, ">87 

nqo 
ZEBULON M. PIKE, • """" 

LEONARD COVUrOTOIT, " ,lJ 

612 

JAMES MILLER, 

E. PENDLETON GAINES, D 14 

ISAAC SHELBT, v ~~ 

WILLIAM HEXRT HARBISON, "33 

OEonoE croghan, 653 

ELEAZAR W. RIPIEY 660 

john Armstrong 677 

samuel smith, 680 

peter b. porter, 682 

nathan towsos, 689 

roger jones, 696 

Isaac noACH, 698 

JACOB BROWS, 714 

ANDREW JACKSON, 735 

ALEXANDER MACOMB, 768 

DUNCAN MC ARTHUR 784 

WILLIAM H. WINDER 786 

LEWIS CASS, 792 

JAMES WINCHESTER, 795 

RICHARD jr. JOHNSON, ' 799 

ZACHART TATLOR, 805 

WINF1ELD SCOTT, 825 

JOHN E. WOOL, 852 

DAVID E. TWIGGS, 858 

WILLIAM J. WOHTH, 865 

GIDEON J. PILLOW, 879 

WILLIAM 0. BUTLEn 884 

JOHN A. O.UITMAN, 887 

JAMES SHIELDS, 892 

ROBERT PATTERSON, 895 

GEORGE CADWAIADER, 897 

STEPHEN WATTS KEARNT, 900 

JOHN C. FnEMONT, 902 

JOHN COFFEE HATS 905 

CHARLES A. JIAT, 907 

BENJAMIN MC CULLOCH 909 

SAMUEL II. WALKER, 911 



[This list contains only the principal embellishments exclusive of portraits. The portrait 
of each officer, with a very few exceptions, is given on the page indicated in the preceding 
table of contents in connection with the commencement of his biography.] 

PA. OB. 
WASHINGTON RECEIVING THE ANSWER OF ST. PIERRE, 15 

WASHINGTON'S JOURNEY TO THE FRENCH FORT, 17 

WASHINGTON WRITING HIS JOURNAL, 21 

WASHINGTON ADVISING BRADDOCK, 24 

BOSTON, FROM DORCHESTER HEIGHTS, 27 

SIEGE OF BOSTON, • * 31 

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE READ, 33 

RETREAT FROM LONG ISLAND, 35 

WASHINGTON CROSSING THE DELAWARE, 39 

BATTLE OF TRENTON, 43 

WASHINGTON'S HEAD-QUARTERS AT BRANDYWINE, 48 

COUNCIL OF WAR BEFORE THE BATTLE OF MONMOUTH, 56 

YORKTOWN, FROM A DR4WING BY MRS. SIMCOE, 61 

SURRENDER OF CORNWALLTS, 64 

MOUNT VERNON, 67 

OLD TOMB OF WASHINGTON, • 70 

NEW TOMB, 71 

SIEGE OF LOUISBURG, 74 

RUINS OF FORT TICONDEROGA, 78 

QUEBEC, 81 

DEATH OF MONTGOMERY, ; 85 

TOMB OF MONTGOMERY, 87 

ARNOLD'S DESCENT ON VIRGINIA, 93 

CRAVE OF STEUBEN, 98 

DURGOYNE'S ENCAMPMENT ON THE HUDSON, 101 

BURGOYNE*'S SURRENDER, 105 

BATTLE OF EUTAW SPRINGS, 129 

6TORMING OF STONY POINT, ' 139 

WAYNE'S CELEBRATED CHARGE ON THE BRITISH ARMY, 143 

9 



10 ILLUSTRATIONS. 

pao». 

wayne defeating the indians, 145 

wayne's residence. che-ter comity, pa., 146 

arnold at bemis's heights, • 152 

capture of andre, 157 

arnold reading andre's letter, 159 

massacre at wyoming, 175 

battle ground of trenton, 190 

general reed at the battle of monmouth, 193 

ethan allen taking ticonderooa, 205 

battle ground of saratoga, • 211 

battle of the cowfens, 214 

battle of germantown, ' 219 

howard's decisive charge at the cowpens, 222 

city of baltimore. 225 

birth place of colonel howard. 229 

major james's adventure with captain ap.desoif, 230 

west point, • 238 

battle ground of yorktown, 246 

general lee's head-quarters, 257 

washington's head-quarters at gowanus, 263 

marion escaping from a drinking party, 274 

marion inviting the british officer to dine, • 275 

putnam's adventure with the wolf, 2s3 

putnam saving the magazine, 2s6 

fort putnam, 295 

putnam's adventure at horseneck, 297 

defence of fort moultrie, 300 

burgoyne's retreat on the hudson, 311 

lake george, 312 

boston massacre, 315 

battle of lexington, 317 

death of warren," 320 

battle of bunker hill, 321 

bunker hill monument, 326 

defence of fort montgomery, 333 

pursuit of the indians, 335 

defence of fort clinton, 341 

general schuyler's residence, 355 

monument of general mercer, 361 

house where general mercer died, 366 

city of new york, 399 

statue of hamilton, 414 

tomb of hamilton, 415 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 11 

PA OB. 

WASHINGTON'S HEAD-QUARTERS AT NEWBURG, 422 

HAVANA, 425 

KOSCIUSKO'S MONUMENT, 452 

THE HOUSE WHERE GENERAL FRAZER DIED, 454 

HiONUMENT ON BEACON HILL, BOSTON, 462 

TATTLE OF CAMDEN, 466 

PLACE D'ARMES MONTREAL, 483 

LA FAVETTE LEAVING FRANCE, 492 

LA FAYETTE WOUNDED AT ERANDYW1NE, 494 

LA FAYETTE AT MONMOUTH, 496 

CONCLUSION OF THE TREA1Y WITH FRANCE, 497 

RICHMOND, • 503 

LA FAYETTE STORMING THE REDOUDT AT YuRKTOWN, 506 

MOORE'S HOUSE AT YOKKToWN, 507 

MOUNT VERNON, 509 

CAPTURE OF THE CASTILE, 51 1 

LA FAYETTE COMMANDER OF THE NATIONAL GUARDS, 512 

LA FAYETTE IMPRISONED AT OI.MUTZ, 513 

TOMB OF LA FAYETTE, 515 

VIEW OF HALIFAX, 562 

CAPTURE OF DERNE, 584 

GATES CONSULTING WITH WILKINSON, 589 

BUFFALO HUNT, 599 

DEATH OF GENERAL PIKE, 607 

DEATH OF GENERAL COVINGTON, 610 

VIEW OF MOBILE, 616 

DEFENCE OF FORT ERIE, 619 

BATTLE OF KING'S MOUNTAIN, 629 

BATTLE OF THE MIAMI, 635 

COUNCIL OF VINCENNES, 639 

BATTLE OF TIPPECANOE, 641 

SEIGE OF FORT MEIGS, 646 

BUILDING OF THE FLEET ON LAKE EHIE, 648 

BATTLE OF THE THAMES, 648 

BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE, 649 

DEFENCE OF FORT SANDUSKY, 656 

MONTREAL, 663 

FALLS OF NIAGARA, 669 

BATTLE MONUMENT, BALTIMORE, ■ 6S 1 

INDIGNATION OK THE TROOPS, 685 

BATTLE OF STONY CREEK, 69 1 

SAILING OF THE EXPEDITtON FROM BUFFALO, 701 

CAPTURE OF THE CALEDONI V AND DETROIT, 705 



12 ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE. 
DEFCNCE OF OGDENSBURGH, 7|g 

DEFENCE OF SACKETT'S HARBOR, • •■ 718 

CITADEL OF KINGSTON, 7 19 

ATTACK ON FORT OSWEGO, 723 

BATTLE OF CHIPPEWA, 731 

VIEW OF NASHVILLE, 739 

ERECTION OF THE FORf AT TEN ISLANDS, 743 

THE BATTERIES OF COTTON BALES, 755 

BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS, 759 

SOUTH-EAST VIEW OF SACKETT'S HARBOR, 773 

BATTLE OF LAKE CHAHPLAIN, , 780 

VIEW OF PLATTSBDRG, 7S3 

BURLINGTON BAY, (WHERE THE BATTLE OF LAKE ERIE WAS FOUGHT,) 734 

BLADENSBURG, 788 

BATTLE OF MAGUAGUA, 793 

BARRACKS AT GREENBUSH, 794 

MASSACRE AT THE RIVER RAISIN, 781 

DEFENCE OF FORT HARRISON, 806 

BATTLE OF OKEE-CHOBEE, 80S 

CORPUS CHRISTI, §10 

CAPTURE OF CAPTAIN THORNTON, 811 

POINT ISABEL, 812 

BATTLE OF PALO ALTO, 813 

BATTLE OF RESACA DE LA PALHA, 815 

STREET FIGHT AT MONTEREY, 819 

GENERAL TAYLOR AT BUENA VISTA, 823 

DEFENCE OF FORT BROWN, 824 

QUEENSTOWN, S26 

CAPTURE OF FORT GEORGE, 827 

SIEGE OF VERA CRUZ, 837 

BATTLE OF CHURUBUSCO, 847 

CITY OF MEXICO, 851 

DEATH OF COLONEL CLAY, 857 

BATTLE OF SIERRA GORDO, S63 

BATTLE OF PALAKLAKLAHA, S66 

STORMING OF THE BISHOP'S PALACE, S68 

PUEBLA DE LOS ANGELOS, S70 

BATTLE OF CONTRERAS, 881 

CHARGE OF MEXICAN CAVALRY AT MONTEREY, 8S9 





GEORGE WASHINGTON. 

T the head of the military men of his country we must 
undoubtedly place the illustrious George Washington, 
first in war as well as in peace, and in the hearts 
of his countrymen. Bom in Westmoreland county, 
Virginia, on the 22d day of February, (N. S.) 1732 ; he was deprived 
of the parental care of his father when still a child, and his educa- 
tion consequently devolved upon the other parent. She was sufficient 
for the task ; and to the lessons of religion, the spotless example, 
and the unceasing watchfulness of his mother, we are in a great 
measure indebted for many of the finest traits in the character of 
our Washington. 

Little is known of his early life. He was sent to school when 
young, and acquired a common school education, with considerable 
knowledge of the mathematics. When about sixteen, he was em- 
ployed as surveyor, and performed valuable service for the colony, 
in clearing roads, and preparing accurate maps of settlements. This 

13 



14 WASHINGTON. 

service educated his eye for the duties of an engineer, and hardened 
his nerves for the life of a soldier. 

The difficulties between France and England, which preceded the 
war of 1754, imbued the mind of Washington with a desire of enter- 
ing a service where he might give full scope to all his energy. A 
midshipman's commission was obtained for him by his friends, and 
he was on the verge of embarking, when the sorrowing look, and 
affectionate appeal of his mother, so affected him, that -he withdrew 
his baggage from the ship, and resumed his former mode of life. 
Slight as was this incident in itself, it was fraught with consequences 
of the greatest importance to his country. 

The movements of the French in America soon became so alarm- 
ing, as to demand the serious attention of government. Their plan 
was to connect Canada with Louisiana, by a chain of posts extend- 
ing from the Great Lakes along the Ohio, and down the Mississippi, 
thus enclosing the colonies so completely as to leave them entirely 
in the power of France and her Indian allies. Virginia prepared for* 
a terrible contest ; the outer settlements were broken up, the 
borderers retired into the interior, and alarm and excitement per- 
vaded all classes. The savages had already begun their atrocities ; 
and amid the gloom of night, the burning cottage and the wailings 
of murdered women, heard in the distance, pointed fearfully to the 
desolation still to come. 

In 1750, young Washington received the appointment of adjutant- 
general of the province, with the rank of major.- This office he 
filled with such distinguished ability, that two years after, when 
Governor Dimviddie wished to send a message through the wilderness 
to the French commander, he accepted the services of Washington, 
although he was then but about twenty-one years old. This under- 
taking was one of the greatest difficulty. The major was twice 
.fired at by a concealed foe, and was once on the point of drowning 
in crossing a river upon a raft. He passed through wilds and unin- 
habitable forests, crossed rapid torrents, swamps and morasses, and 
was for days exposed to cold, privation, and the rifles of Indians, 
without seeing a single human being except his guide. 

On his arrival at the French fort, he was introduced to the com- 
mander, a knight of the military order of St. Louis, and named 
Legardeur St. Pierre, whom Washington describes in his journal as 
an elderly gentleman, having much the air of a soldier. His reply 
to Governor Dinwiddie's order, that he should evacuate the disputed 
territory, was quite in character. He remarked, that as a soldier it 
was his duty to obey the commands of his superior, the governor of 
Canada, and that he should not retire without an order from him. 



JOURNEY TO THE FRENCH FORT. 



17 





Washington's journey to trie French Fort. 

After receiving this answer, Washington was delayed several days 
before he could commence his journey homeward. The difficulties 
which he encountered in this perilous undertaking are best described 
in his own journal, published after his return. In this remarkable 
paper, he says : 

" Our horses were now so weak and feeble, and the baggage so 
heavy, (as we were obliged to provide all the necessaries which the 
journey would require,) that we doubted much their performing it. 
Therefore, myself and others, except the drivers, who were obliged 
to ride, gave up our horses for packs, to assist along with the baggage. 
I put myself in an Indian walking dress, and continued with them 
three days, until I found there was no probability of their getting 
home in any reasonable time. The horses became less able to travel 
every day ; the cold increased very fast ; and the roads were becom- 
ing much worse by a deep snow, continually freezing : therefore, as 
I was uneasy to get back, to make report of my proceedings to his 
honour the governor, I determined to prosecute my journey, the 
nearest way through the woods, on foot. 

Accordingly, I left Mr. Vanbraam in charge of our baggage, with 
money and directions to provide necessaries from place to place for 
themselves and horses, and to make the most convenient despatch 
in travelling. 

I took my necessary papers, pulled off my clothes, and tied myself 

2 



18 



WASHINGTON. 



up in a watch coat. Then, with gun in hand, and pack on my back, 
in which were my papers and provisions, I set out with Mr. Gist, 
fitted in the same manner, on Wednesday the 26th. The day follow 
ing, just after we had passed a place called Murdering town, (where 
we intended to quit the path and steer across the country for Shana- 
pin's town,) we fell in with a party of French Indians, who had laid 
in wait for us. One of them fired at Mr. Gist or me, not fifteen 
steps off, but fortunately missed. We took this fellow into custody, 
and kept him until about nine o'clock at night, then let him go, and 
walked all the remaining part of the night without making any stop, 
that we might get the start, so far, as to be out of the reach of their 
pursuit the next day, since we were well assured they would follow 
our track as soon as it was light. The next day we continued travel- 
ling until quite dark, and got to the river about two miles above 
Shanapins. We expected to have found the river frozen, but i»was 
not, only about fifty yards from each shore. The ice, I suppose, had 
broken up above, for it was driving in vast quantities. 

There was no way for getting over but on a raft, wdiich we set 
about, with but one poor hatchet, and finished just after sun setting. 
This was a whole day's work : we next got it launched, then went 
on board of it, and set off; but before we were half way over, we 
were jammed in the ice, in such a manner, that we expected every 
moment our raft to sink, and ourselves to perish. I put out my set- 
ting pole to try to stop the raft, that the ice might pass by, when the 
rapidity of the stream threw it with so much violence against the 
pole, that it jerked me out into ten feet water ; but I fortunately 
saved myself by catching- hold of one of the raft logs Notwith- 
standing all our efforts, we could not get to either shore, but were 
obliged, as we were near an island, to quit our raft and make to it. 

The cold was so extremely severe, that Mr. Gist had all his fingers, 
and some of his toes frozen, and the water was shut up so hard, that 
we found no difficulty in getting off the island on the ice in the 
morning, and went to Mr. Frazier's. We met here with twenty 
warriors, who were going to the southward to war ; but coming to a 
place on the head of the great Kanawa, where they found seven 
people killed and scalped, (all but one woman with very light hair,) 
they turned about and ran back, for feaT the inhabitants should rise 
and take them as the authors of the murder. Thev report that the 
bodies were lying about the house, and some of them much torn and 
eaten by the hogs. By the marks which were left, they say they 
were French Indians of the Ottoway nation, &c. who did it. 

As we intended to take horses here, and it required some time to 
feed them, I went up about three miles to the mouth of Yohogany, 



WASHINGTON S JOURNAL. 



21 




Washington writing his Journal. 

to visit queen Alliquippa, who had expressed great concern that we 
passed her in going to the fort. I made her a present of a watch 
coat and a bottle of rum, which latter was thought much the best 
present of the two. 

Tuesday, the first of January, we left Mr. Frazier's house, and 
arrived at Mr. Gist's, at Monongahela, the second, where I bought a 
horse, saddle, &c. The sixth, we met seventeen horses loaded with 
materials and stores for a fort at the forks of the Ohio, and the day 
after, some families going out to settle. This day, we arrived at 
Wills' creek, after as fatiguing a journey as is possible to conceive, 
rendered so by excessive bad weather. From the first day of Decem- 
ber to the fifteenth, there was but one day on which it did not rain 
or snow incessantly ; and throughout the whole journey, we met with 
nothing but one continued series of cold, wet weather, which occa- 
sioned very uncomfortable lodgings, especially after we had quitted 
our tent, which was some screen from the inclemency of it. 

On the eleventh, I got to Belvoir, where I stopped one day to take 
necessary rest ; and then set out and arrived in Williamsburg the 
sixteenth, when I waited upon his honour the governor, with the 
letter I had brought from the French commandant, and to give an 
account of the success of my proceedings. This I beg leave to do 
by offering the foregoing narrative, as it contains the most remark- 
able occurrences which happened in my journey." 

The journal from which the foregoing extract is made, being pub- 
lished shortly after Washington's return from this perilous expedition, 
excited general attention both in this country and in Europe, on 
account of the important information it contained, and the remark- 



W A S II I N G T N. 



This was of great use in the 






able ability it evinced. It gives an accurate account of all the great 
natural features of the country with geographical and military obser- 
vations, and other valuable hints, 
subsequent wars with the French and Indians. 

Immediately after this affair Washington was appointed Lieutenant 
Colonel, in a newly raised regiment of three hundred men, under 
Colonel Fry. In April, 1754, he selected two companies and 
marched rapidly to the Great Meadows, in the Alleghany Valley, in 
whose vicinity a large party of the French had been for some time 
hovering. When within a short distance of a hostile detachment he 
halted, formed his men, marched the greater part of the night, 
attacked the party before daybreak, and captured or killed the 
whole. 

War was now formally declared by the French, and both nations 
made the greatest preparations to meet it. Upon the death of Colonel 
Fry, Washington obtained the command in Virginia, with an addi- 
tion to his force of two companies of regulars. He marched towards 
Fort du Quesne, at the junction of the Alleghany and Monongahela 
rivers, and the great military depot of the enemy, commanding the 
communication with Canada, Louisiana, and the West. Suddenly, he 
received information that 1300 French and Indians, under M. de 
Villiers, were advancing rapidly upon him, and that the savages were 
concealed in the woods directly ahead as "thick as pigeons." Wash- 
ington immediately fell back to the Great Meadows, where he had 
erected a small work called Fort Necessity. Here they were furi- 
ously attacked, by an enemy thirsting for blood and plunder, and 
who fondly hoped at each discharge to frighten the little garrison 
from their fort. But with a courage rarely exceeded in defensive 
warfare, this band of three hundred men poured forth their volleys 
of defence against a force three times their number. For nine hours 
the French and their savage allies were held at bay, while the fort 
was in an almost continuous blaze of musketry. Discouraged by 
such resistance, Villiers offered terms which were accepted, and the 
garrison marched from the fort with all the honors of war. 

The thanks of the legislature of Virginia were presented to 
Washington for his courage and ability in this affair; and the de- 
fenders of Fort Necessity every where received the highest marks 
of respect and gratitude. 

In the winter of 1754-5, an incident occurred which displays a 
trait in the character of Washington that has not escaped the notice 
of any of his biographers. Orders were transmitted from England, 
that the general and field officers of the colonies should be divested 
of all rank while serving with the same grades commissioned by the 



BRADDOCK S EXPIDITION. 



23 




king ; and company officers of equal rank were directed to give pre- 
cedence to the regulars, without regard to seniority of date. By this 
arrangement young men who had no experience in war, would take 
rank above men who had grown gray under the smiles of victory. 
Feeling that under this state of things, the door of honor and pro- 
motion was entirely closed, Washington threw up his commission 
and retired to Mount Vernon. 

ITTLE respite was afforded 
him for repose. British regi- 
ments arrived in Virginia under 
General Braddock, destined for 
the reduction of FortduQuesne. 
When this officer learned thai 
Colonel Washington had retired 
from service, he expressed great 
disapprobation at the cause, and 
immediately invited him to re- 
join as his aid-de-camp. Wash- 
ington promptly consented to 
accept the post, acting as a volunteer, and the most sanguine expec- 
tations were raised that the valor of the English, aided by the 
topographical knowledge of the provincials, would terminate the war 
in a single campaign. 

Much time was consumed in preparation, and when the army did 
start, General Braddock was so scrupulous about the regular disci- 
pline as to reject all advice of Washington, and proceeded as though 
against a force like themselves, in an open plain. The Colonel then 
suggested the propriety of advancing with his provincials, and scour- 
ing the forests for ambuscades ; but his representations were consi- 
dered impertinent, and the army still held on in its blind course. 

On the 9th of July, 1755, after a fatiguing march, they arrived 
at the Pass of the Monongahela, a wild road flanked by rising 
grounds, which were surrounded by dense overhanging forests. Here 
the proud army that had left Virginia with all the buoyancy of hope, 
were to encounter a melancholy reverse. On each side of the path 
lay multitudes of concealed Indians, who had been sent from Fort 
Du Quesne to harass and impede the approaching army. From their 
hidden retreat they poured upon the British a murderous fire, while 
the regulars, wedged in between rocks and forests, and unable for a 
while either to retreat or advance, were thrown into confusion. Brad- 
dock immediately rode along the van and endeavored to restore 
order. But his valor was vain. Horse after horse was killed, and 



24 



WASHINGTON. 




"Washington advising Braddock to guard against an ambuscade. 

at last he himself sunk down amid hundreds of his fallen soldiers. 
All the officers of his staff were killed except Washington. The 
troops broke on all sides, and rushed back towards the ford of the 
Monongahela in full view of the enemy. Elated by the unexpected 
sight the Indians left the forest, and commenced the pursuit. But 
they met with another force, one which they had formerly learned 
to fear. By the fall of Braddock the command devolved on Colonel 
Washington, who, though debilitated by a serious attack of fever, 
had been engaged all day. He covered the retreating troops with a 
part of the Virginians, while the remainder, adopting the Indian 
mode of warfare, poured upon the pursuers from trees and thickets, 
so heavy a fire as to arrest the pursuit, and kill many of the enemy. 
This saved the relics of the army. General Braddock died four days 
after, and found a grave in the wilderness. 

Of eighty-six officers engaged in this battle, sixty-five were killed 
and wounded. Its consequences were fearful. Consternation per- 
vaded all classes in proportion to the amount of previous expectation, 
and all the border settlements were broken up. But one officer 
reaped a full harvest of glory from this bloody field. That one was 
Washington. It was universally acknowledged, that had his advice 
been taken the expedition would have succeeded, and his conduct on 
the battle field, and during the retreat, was the theme of all praise. 
The legislature of Virginia ordered the raising of sixteen companies, 
the command of which was bestowed upon the Colonel ; and he was 
further promoted to be commander-in-chief of all the forces, raised 



CONQUEST OP QUEBEC. 



25 



or to be raised, in Virginia, with the power of selecting his own field 
officers. 

^^jjj|js& HE duties of this station were most arduous. An 
IPM? immense frontier was to be defended bv a mere handful 



''S$... 




k S -'yJ.i <>i 1 1 mii : mid ureal offensive op< rations were expected, 
~> Pfvaiiii ""Iiere it '.mis almost impossible to perform any. The 
Jfc_ r? soldiers bad some skirmishes with the enemy, in all of 
S? which they exhibited the fruits of their strict training ; 
but no conflict occurred of sufficient importance to deserve special 
notice. 

In 1758, the French abandoned Fort Du Quesne, which was taken 
possession of by General Forbes ; and in the following year the con- 
quest of Quebec restored quiet to the colonies. Washington now 
resigned his military office, and retired to the enjoyment of that hap- 
piness which private life alone can confer. On the 6th of January, 
1759, he married Mrs. Martha Custis, a lady of handsome fortune, 
and great personal accomplishments. Previous to this he had been 
elected a member of the House of Burgesses in Virginia, where he 
remained until the commencement of the revolutionary war. When 
this was not in session he followed the peaceful pursuits of a planter, 
upon his extensive estate at Mount Vernon. 

Although in a great measure removed from the public eye during 
this period, yet he watched the progress of the dispute between 
England and her colonies with intense interest. His opinion was 
. often solicited by the master spirits of that trying time ; he was 
invited to attend all the military companies of his neighborhood while 
drilling; and he was already regarded as the future commander of 
the Virginia soldiery. These expectations were soon to be more 
than realized. 

Washington was appointed a member of the first Congress, where 
his firmness, solid information and personal dignity, gained him the 
respect of every member. 

When Patrick Henry was asked whom he thought the greatest 
man in this Congress, he answered : " If you speak of eloquence, 
Mr. Rutledge, of South Carolina, is by far the greatest orator ; but 
if you speak of solid information and sound judgment, Colonel 
Washington is unquestionably the greatest man on that floor." 

When the second Congress met, May 10th, 1775, he was again 
among the number. The great drama had then opened, the war of 
independence had begun ; and the battle of Lexington had for ever 
severed the Old World from the New. Men whose equals have rarely 
been recorded upon history, were there assembled to decide on the 
interest of millions of injured freemen. Money could not buy them, 



26 



WASHINGTON. 




Patrick Henry. 

venality corrupt, or danger terrify them. Property and life were 
worthless, compared to the great cause which had brought them 
together. 

The duties of this Congress were most arduous. After providing 
for the raising of an army, they unanimously elected George Wash- 
ington " General and Commander-in-chief of the army of the United 
Provinces, and of all the forces now raised or to be raised by them, 
and of all others who shall voluntarily offer their services." He had 
been proposed by Mr. John Adams in the early part of June, and 
was elected by ballot on the 1 5th. His emotion at this unequivocal 
display of confidence was very great. When it was announced to 
him by the president, he rose slowly from his seat, and in a few- 
remarks expressed the diffidence he felt in his abilities and military 
experience, but declared his determination to exert every power for 
his country's service, and the success of her glorious cause. Con- 
gress fixed his salary at five hundred dollars per month, which he 
declined accepting, averring his determination to require only an 
indemnity for his expenses while in service, a copy of which he pro- 



SIE GE OF BOSTON. 



29 




mised to present regularly to Congress. He received his commission 
on the 19th, at which time Congress entered into a solemn agree- 
ment to assist and adhere to him, by their lives, fortunes, and 
influence. 

With a laudable promptness Washington prepared at once for 
entrance upon his duty. In his journey toward Boston he was every 
where received with that enthusiasm and deference due to his 
important office, and his arrival at his head-quarters in Cambridge, 
was hailed by the warmest acclamations of officers and soldiers. 

The American army was at this time besieging Boston, the head- 
quarters of the royal troops. They were scattered on both sides of 
Charles river, over a space of nearly twelve miles, and numbering 
about fourteen thousand men, but far from possessing an efficiency 
equal to their numbers. Washington found the materials for a good 
army — a great number of men, active, zealous in the cause, and of 
unquestionable courage — and these were all. Entire absence of dis- 
cipline, and even subordination prevailed throughout the camp ; and 
the dampening fact was soon discovered, that the whole quantity of 
ammunition on hand would barely supply nine rounds to each man. 
Besides, there was scarcely one bayonet in camp ; and as a still fur 



30 



WASHINGTON. 




ther discouragement to all efforts at enforcing discipline, the time of 
service of a large number would expire with that year. 

i/s^V3 _ ITTLE regarding these discouraging 

appearances, Washington entered upon 
his duties with ardor. He organized the 
army into brigades and divisions, and 
'drilled them with untiring perseverance. A pay- 
pinaster, a quartermaster-general, and other staff 
officers, were also added to the army through his 
recommendation. He was, however, obliged to 
remain inactive during the fall and winter, as the 
strength of his army, compared with that of the British, would not 
justify an attempt to expel them from Boston. Early in the spring 
of 1776, however, being reinforced by a considerable body of new 
recruits, he determined to force the British either to fight or abandon 
the town. During the night of the 4th of March, the fortification 
of Dorchester Heights was commenced, and "n the followmtr morn- 
ing the astonished enemy beheld before them an extensive and com- 
manding work, which, to use their own words, appeared as though 
it had sprung from the ground by eastern magic. Howe promptly 
determined to dislodge the Americans from this dangerous position, 
and for this purpose despatched two thousand men across the creek. 
But the elements were adverse to his operations. A furious storm 
scattered all his boats, and the troops were recalled. On the 14th, 
the army and fleet left the city, which they had held so long, and 
immediately after the troops of Washington entered amid the accla- 
mations of the inhabitants. Congress commemorated the 1 event by 
a gold medal, and tendered their thanks to Washington and his army. 
Apprehensive of an attack upon New York, Washington hastened 
to that city, and commenced active preparations for its defence. 
Howe sailed for Halifax, where after receiving large reinforcements, 
he re-embarked and landed at Staten Island on the 3d and 4th of 
July. Here his force was augmented by a large number of dis- 
affected royalists, principally under the command of Governor Tryon. 
It formed the largest and best army ever concentrated in America, 
numbering nearly thirty thousand men, excellently equipped and in a 
high state of discipline. On their arrival at Staten Island, the 
American army scarcely numbered ten thousand men, enfeebled by 
long exposure, and dispirited by sickness and poverty. But still their 
leader did not despair. Petition after petition was presented to Con- 
gress, for the better payment of the troops, and the increase of the 
army, and the militia of the neighboring states were ordered imme- 
diately to camp. 



DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 



33 




The Declaration of Independence : 



id t:> l/be S ldier 



Meanwhile an event had taken place, which gave a new character 
to all the subsequent operations of the war, and stamped its leaders 
as apostles of human liberty. This was the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, proclaimed at Philadelphia, July 4th, 1776. It was 
transmitted to Washington, and by him to the soldiers, who received 
it with shouts of enthusiasm. It infused new life into those who 
felt that henceforth they had a high object, a sacred reward to attain, 
which would be a blessing to themselves, to their children, and to 
generations yet unborn. 

Lord Howe and his brother, Sir William, did not proceed to imme- 
diate hostilities. They had been commissioned by the king to treat 
with the colonies for an adjustment of difficulties, and to grant the 
royal pardon to all those who would lay down arms. These powers 
were communicated to Washington by the two commanders, and a 
correspondence took place, which clearly exhibits the elevated tone 
of character which ever distinguished Washington. The first letter 
being addressed to " George Washington, Esq.," was returned 
unopened, and a similar success attended one written to " George 
Washington, &c. &c. &c." Commissioners were then appointed to 
a personal conference ; but after a pompous display oi the sorrow of 
the king concerning the existing- difficulties, his anxiety, and that of 
his envoys, Lord and Sir William Howe, for their speedy termina- 
tion, and their full ability to grant pardons, Washington calmly 
replied, that while all Ibis was true, it seemed useless to talk of par- 
don, where no offence had been committed ; for in resorting to arms, 
the Americans were only defending the rights guarantied to them by 
the British constitution. The conference then closed, and both 
armies prepared for war. 



34 



WASHINGTON. 




ONG ISLAND was the scene of a disas- 
S^gg-T Irons battle on the 26th of August, 1776. 
' Washington did not command in person ; 
but he had taken every precaution to 
guard against surprise, and defend his 
weak points. Unfortunately an important pass 
, w : as left unguarded through the criminal neglect 
of those to whose care it was entrusted ; and the 
s omission was very soon improved by Sir Henry 
•5S55* 1 Clinton. Putnam, the American commander, did 
all that a brave man could do, but the discipline of the enemy pre- 
vailed. Whole regiments poured through the captured pass, drove 
in the weak portions of the Americans with heavy loss, and marched 
rapidly toward their rear. Washington was at Brooklyn, a sad 
spectator of the slaughter of his troops. His first impulse was to 
cross immediately ; then the danger of his immediate command, if 
left to itself, interposed ; till after alternate fear and impulse, he 
became sensible that his presence could not retrieve his losses, nor 
atone for damage that might accrue by absence from his present 
post. He accordingly confined his exertions to the safe withdrawal 
of the troops within the fortified lines, and to preparations for a 
general retreat from the island. At the same time he had the address 
to present so bold a front to the enemy, that Howe and his elated 
army were deterred from an immediate attack, and obliged to con- 
duct their advances with all the cautious formality of a regular 
siege. 

In the battle of Long Island, the force of the Americans did not 
exceed five thousand men, while that of the enemy was nearly three 
times that number. Their loss was about twelve hundred men, of 
whom one thousand were prisoners. 

All hope of defending New York was now abandoned, and on the 
28th of July Washington made his celebrated retreat from Long- 
Island. It was itself a triumph. Defeated and disheartened, with 
an army flushed by victory behind, and a powerful fleet ready to 
intercept their movements, his little band crossed a broad river in 
small boats, with such sLence and activity, that though busily engaged 
all night they were not perceived by the enemy until the very last 
division had nearly touched the opposite shore. The astonishment 
of the British commander was equalled only by his chagrin, at see- 
ing his enemy thus beyond his reach. He had hoped that retreat 
would be impossible without the risk of a second battle, which might 
place the continental troops entirely at his disposal : but with the 
blasting of those hopes came the unwelcome prospect of long and 



RETREAT THROUGH JERSEY. 



37 



tedious marches, battles and hard won victories, before his antagonist 
would again be in his former situation. 

Washington now moved up the Hudson, followed by the hostile 
army. Some skirmishing took place between advance parties, but 
the American commander was so happy in the choice of his positions, 
that no decisive advantage could be obtained over him. Soon after, 
the British commenced a retrograde movement, captured Fort Wash- 
ington, with twenty-five hundred men and a large quantity of stores, 
and compelled the hasty evacuation of Fort Lee. The loss was 
heavy and sudden. The British continued to move rapidly down 
the river, followed by Washington, until they reached the Jerseys. 
Here the Americans commenced the disastrous retreat, which has 
no parallel in their history. Loss in battle, desertion, abandonment 
of service, and other causes, had reduced them to less than five 
thousand men. Driven from post to post, even this small number 
gradually diminished, so that when Washington crossed the Dela- 
ware, and took post near Philadelphia, he could not muster three 
thousand. 




The Ketreat through Jersey. 



Having driven the Americans from all the eastern posts, Lord 
Howe paused in the career of conquest, and began to improve the 
advantages already gained. He extended a line of military posts 
for many miles along the river, and posted large bodies of troops at 
all the principal towns. Large drafts were made upon the inhabi- 
tants for provisions, and the army went into winter quarters in a 
style of luxury rarely witnessed before in America. At the same 
time the continental troops were deficient of clothing, shoes, pro- 
visions, and military weapons, and exposed to hardships and suffer- 
ings almost incredible. But their leader was Washington. With him 



38 



WA SHINCTOK. 



the republic was never to be despaired of, and his army always saw 
h'im as calm and collected as when fortune smiled upon his banners. 
He shared the privations of the soldiers, and by his words and exam- 
ple encouraged them to bear cheerfully the evils of their situation. 
The time was near when his anxiety and labors were to be gloriously 
rewarded. 

By a careful consideration of the scattered state of the enemy at 
that time, General Washington became convinced that a simultaneous 
attack upon several of their posts, although a desperate undertaking, 
might not be unattended by important success at some one point. 
Accordingly a plan was laid for the 25th of December, by which 
the army was to cross the Delaware in three divisions; one under 
General Irvine, to guard a bridge below Trenton, and cut off the 
retreat of all fugitives ; a second under Cadwalader, to attack Mount 
Holly; and the main body under Washington to attack the British 
at Trenton. 

The night of the 25th was cold and stormy. Hail and sleet fell 
in blinding showers, and the roaring of the wind, the crashing of ice, 
and pattering of hail made the scene indescribably gloomy and deso- 
late. How heavy must have been the heart of Washington during 
that winter night. The forlorn cause in which he was engaged, the 
uncertainty of success, and the consequences of defeat, hung like 
lead on his bosom. All night long he was on horseback superin- 
tending the tedious movement of his troops. That night was big 
with the fate of America ; in a few more hours liberty would be 
once more strong and beautiful as a youthful giant, or crushed for 
long succeeding ages. The troops toiled and struggled in their frail 
boats amid masses of ice, for three hours. At three o'clock the 
whole division had reached the Jersey shore with the loss of two men. 
They commenced the march at four, in two sections ; one proceeding 
by the lower, the other by the upper road. The attack commenced 
about sunrise. Washington drove in the pickets on the lower road, 
and in three minutes was greeted with the sound of the muskets on 
the upper. Confident of speedy success, he swept along to the head 
of his men and ordered them to follow. In a few moments they 
reached the enemy. Colonel Rahl, a gallant officer, attempted to 
rally his men ; but he was mortally wounded, and everything gave 
way before Washington's furious charge. 

The enemy fled along the Princeton road, but were intercepted by 
a detachment thrown in their front for that purpose. Nine hundred 
and nine laid down their arms, and about a hundred more were 
afterwards found in the houses. Six field-pieces and one thousand 
stand of arms were also taken. The British had about twenty 



BATTLE OF PRINCETON. 41 

killed, the Americans two, and two frozen to death. Five hundred 
Hessians escaped by the road leading to Princeton. Neither Irvine 
nor Cadwalader were able to perform their part of the attack, or the 
enemy's whole line of intrenchments must have been completely 
swept. 

Thinking it unsafe to remain at Trenton, Washington recrossed 
the Delaware and marched to Philadelphia, through which he passed 
with his prisoners, in order to impress the minds of the citizens with 
the importance of his victory. It had the desired effect. The joy 
of all classes w r as unbounded, and from that day — though reverses 
frequently dimmed the brilliancy of the prospect — hope never again 
deserted the cause of American independence. 

When too late, Lord Howe perceived his error, in remaining 
supine, while the Americans were commanded by such a general as 
his adversary. In order however to atone for the past, he collected 
his army in force, and a new campaign commenced in the middle of 
winter. Two days after the battle of Trenton, Washington again 
crossed the Delaware, and soon learned that several columns of 
British troops under Earl Cornwallis were marching rapidly toward, 
him. The enemy joined their forces at Princeton, advanced in great 
force, and on the 2d of January, 1777, came up with the Americans 
at the Assanpink creek. This was about four in the afternoon. 
A smart skirmish immediately ensued, but by means of some cannon 
advantageously posted, the enemy were kept at bay, and prevented 
from crossing the stream. A sullen cannonade was then maintained 
until night, when both armies kindled their fires. 

But that night brought no rest to the American army. With but 
a handful of men to oppose an overwhelming force, in a country 
possessed by the enemy, Washington well knew the peril which 
would surround him, should he remain there till morning. The 
Delaware first presented itself as a means of escape, but an uncom- 
monly warm day had softened the ice, and the road to the river, so 
that a crossing could not be effected without imminent danger. But 
one course now remained, bold and hazardous, but worthy of the 
genius of Washington. He determined to march around the van and 
left flank of the enemy, proceed to Princeton, and after defeating 
what force might be there, to advance to Brunswick. As soon as 
it was dark, the bagg-age was silently removed to Burlington, and 
about one o'clock the army, leaving its fires lighted and its sentinels 
on the margin of the creek, decamped with the utmost stillness. The 
movement was providentially favored by the weather ; for the wind 
suddenly changing to the north-west, in a short time froze the ground 
as hard as a pavement. The British were completely deceived, 



42 , WASHINGTON. 

although commanded by one of their ablest generals ; and when at 
sunrise the next morning the roar of Washington's cannon was heard 
in the distance, Cornwallis supposed it to be thunder. ~V\ hen near 
Princeton, the Americans suddenly encountered two British regi- 
ments under Colonel Mawhood, who were marching to join the main 
body at Trenton. The van of the Americans, composed chiefly of 
militia, soon gave way; and General Mercer, while gallantly exert- 
ing himself to rally them, received a mortal wound. The British 
rushed forward with fixed bayonets, driving back the scattered 
soldiers until they came in sight of the main body. Feeling that 
everything was at stake, Washing-ton rode to the front of his troops, 
seized a standard, and calling to them to follow, dashed toward the 
enemy. The sight of their beloved chief in danger, reanimated 
the heroes of Trenton. They met the charge of the enemy with 
vigor, and for a while the conflict was fierce and bloody. The 
British were at length divided into two columns, one retreating 
towards Trenton, the other towards Brunswick. About three hundred 
of the regiment at Princeton surrendered. The British left one 
hundred dead upon the field ; the American loss was somewhat less, 
but it included the lamented Mercer, Colonels Haslet and Potter, 
Captain Neal of the artillery, Captain Fleming and five other valua- 
ble officers. 

Thus we have seen Washington keeping the field, and preserving 
the vigor of his operations in spite of the circumstances which com- 
manded inactivity. The British army found its divisions attacked 
and defeated in detail, while they considered themselves in perfect 
security, under the shield of all former experience. That principle 
of warfare which was the secret of Napoleon's victories — the pro- 
duction of a local superiority of force, by concentration against a 
distant position — was evidently a part of Washington's reasoning, 
and a main reliance for the success of his enterprises. The two 
battles of Trenton and Princeton, though similar in their outlines, 
were, very different in point of conception and execution. The 
attack upon Trenton was a blow struck against an enemy in posi- 
tion, which admitted of every advantage of preparation on the part 
of the assailant. The battle of Princeton belonged to a higher and 
more elaborate order of tactics. The American forces were already 
engaged with a superior army, commanded by an officer of eminent 
reputation ; and the change of plan was wholly contrived and exe- 
cuted with the enemy in front. It was entirely due to the prompt 
genius and fertile resources of Washington, that his army was extri- 
cated from so perilous an exposure, and enabled to attack the enemy's 
rear with such advantage as to leave it no choice but flight or surrender. 



HEAD-QUARTERS AT MORRISTOWN. 45 

A military critic, contemplating these inspirations with a soldier's 
eye, can easily appreciate the feelings of the great Frederick, when 
he sent a sword to the American commander, as a gift from the 
world's oldest general to its best. 

The van of Cornwallis's army was near Princeton whenWashing- 
ton's commenced its march. He was therefore obliged to abandon that 
part of his plan, which embraced an attempt upon Brunswick, and 
marched toward the Highlands, in order to afford some relief to his 
exhausted soldiers. This march was tracked with blood from their 
lacerated feet ; and the excessive cold and fatigue they had undergone 
for many days had brought on diseases which absolutely demanded 
rest. He accordingly established his head-quarters at Morristown, 




Washington's Head-Quarters at Morristown. 

where the enemy could be watched with perfect security, and supplies 
drawn from the neighboring country. While here he caused the 
whole army to be inoculated, and thus escaped the devastations of 
that terrible scourge — the small-pox. 

Both armies now used every exertion to strengthen themselves for 
some important operation in the spring. Taught by experience, that 
the Jerseys could not be overawed by a widely dispersed army, Howe 
collected almost all his troops at Amboy, and executed his measures 
with the greatest secrecy and caution. Meanwhile important skir- 
mishes frequently took place between small parties, which nearly all 
terminated favorably for the Americans. By these, a large number 
of prisoners and supplies were taken, and a wholesome feeling main- 
tained among the people. Washington was authorized by Congress 
to raise sixteen regiments, and received from that body the powers of 
military dictator for six months. 

In the spring, the British attacked the depots at Peekskill and 



46 



■Washington. 




Danbury, which they captured, carrying away a large quantity of 
military stores. About the same lime their own stores at Sagg 
Harbor, together with an armed schooner and some smaller vessels 
were destroyed by Colonel Meigs. 

HE great object of Sir William Howe 
at this time, was the capture of Phila- 
delphia. But he \v;'s surrounded with 
difficulties. Although Washington's 
effective force was not more than six 
thousand men, yet he was so advan- 
tageously posted at Middlebrook, that 
he could repel an attack with advan- 
tage, or so harass the enemy should they attempt crossing the Dela- 
ware, as to cause them to abandon the project. Howe's means of 
crossing were also limited, and the Pennsylvania shore was guarded 
by strong- bodies of the Americans. The British general then deter- 
mined to employ stratagem, and for many days manoeuvred around 
Washington's camp, in order to draw him to an engagement in the 
open plain. At one time he appeared on the point of crossing oppo- 
site Philadelphia ; at another opposite Trenton, and then would push 
in the direction of New York. But his adversary was not deceived. 
He had anticipated all these feints, and matured his plans to meet 
them. Sometimes he would leave his camp and cautiously follow the 
enemy ; but at the least retrograde movement on the part of the latter, 
and frequently when Sir William imagined the long desired prey 
within his grasp, a vigorous countermarch would suddenly place the 
Americans in their former position and give the British general new 
room for the exercise of his patience and ingenuity. Thus the spirits 
of the people were kept up, and that of the enemy proportionably 
worn out. 

At length the British commander was wearied out by this unprofit- 
able contest with an enemy who was neither to be deceived, nor 
overpowered, Protected by its position he fully appreciated the 
physical force of the American army, and having now fairly tested 
the skill of his adversary, he was satisfied that nothing was to be 
gained in the conflict of military science. A new plan was therefore 
resolved upon, whose first step was to be the total abandonment of 
New Jersey. Howe marched rapidly to Amboy, pursued by part of 
the American army. After making one last effort to gain the rear 
of his pursuers and failing, he abandoned the province, long fondly 
considered his own. and passed over to Staten Island for the purpose 
of embarkation. 

Although Washington had achieved the great triumph of driving 



BATTLE OF BKANDYWIffE, 



47 




General Eowe. 

his enemy from an important position, yet he felt confident that he 
would very soon be called to defend some other equally valuable 
station. The designs of Howe were wrapt in mystery — -He might 
intend an incursion up the North river, to defeat Schuyler, and join 
Burgoyne, or by means of his fleet, land at any point of the southern 
coast, commit extensive depredations, and march by land to Phila- 
delphia. Washington thought the latter the most probable, but with 
that disregard of his personal credit which he ever showed, when his 
country was in danger ; he dispatched all the troops he could spare 
to the north in order to strengthen Schuyler's army, for a successful 
attack upon Burgoyne. He then stationed himself upon the Dela- 
ware to watch any attempt upon the capital. 

His conjectures concerning Howe's intentions were correct. To 
ward the end of July, the fleet of that commander appeared off 
Delaware bay ; but owin^r to the obstructions which had been sunk 
there by the Americans, he again put to sea, ascended the Chesa 
peake, and landed at the head of Elk river. Washington immediately 



48 



WASHINGTON. 




Washington's Heal-Quarters at Erandywine. 

marched to meet him. His whole force did not exceed eleven thou- 
sand men, many of them raw militia and miserably armed. The 
English numbered eighteen thousand regulars, finely equipped, and 
in the highest state of discipline. At daybreak on the morning of 
the 1 1th of September, the royal army advanced in two columns, the 
one commanded by Knyphausen, the other by Cornwallis. While 
the first column took the direct road to Chadd's Ford, on the Brandy- 
wine, and made a show of passing it in front of the main body of the 
Americans, the other moved up on the west side of the Brandywine, 
crossed both branches of its fork in the afternoon, and marched down 
on its eastern side with the view of turning the right wing of their 
adversaries. On receiving intelligence of their approach, Washington 
made the proper dispositions to meet it. The divisions commanded 
by Sullivan, Sterling and Stephens, advanced a little farther up the 
creek, and fronted the column of the approaching enemy ; Wayne's 
division with Maxwell's light infantry, remained at Chadd's Ford, to 
keep Knyphausen in check ; Greene's division accompanied by 
General Washington formed a reserve, and took a central position 
between the right and left wings. About four o'clock, Lord Corn- 
wallis formed the line of battle and began the attack. The Ameri- 
cans answered by rapid discharges of musketry, and for some time 
the battle was spirited. At length the right gave way, and Cornwallis 
pushed against the flank of the other divisions, pouring in a galling 
fire upon one section after another, until the whole line broke and 
commenced a rapid retreat. At the beginning of this attack, Kny- 
phausen crossed the ford, and attacked the troops stationed there. 
Here the Americans fought with the obstinacy of despair, but were 
overpowered by numbers and routed. The whole American army 
then commenced a retreat, marching to Chester under cover of the 
night, from whence they proceeded next day, to Philadelphia. 




BATTLE OF GERM AN TOWN. 49 

HE American loss was three hundred killed, six 
hundred wounded, and three hundred prisoners. 
That of the British was one hundred killed and 
four hundred wounded. At Brandywine, Lafay- 
ette first drew his sword in the cause of freedom, 
and received a wound in the leg. 

Anxious for the safety of their principal city, 
Congress urged Washington to risk another battle in its defence. On 
the 1 6th of September, the armies met near the Warren tavern, about 
twenty-three miles from Philadelphia. Some skirmishing took place, 
which was becoming general, when a heavy rain wetted the powder of 
the Americans, and they were instantly ordered to retreat. This 
occurrence was providential, it being afterwards ascertained that the 
soldiers were alarmingly deficient in powder and cartridges. Howe 
now advanced to the Schuylkill and fixed his camp in front of the 
Americans. Notwithstanding the popular wish, Washington declined 
risking the loss of his army by another battle, contenting himself by 
removing the most valuable stores up the Delaware. Congress 
adjourned to reassemble at Lancaster, and on the 26th of September 
Howe entered the American metropolis. A large division of the 
army marched to the village of Germantown, about five miles from 
Philadelphia, a second was stationed at Chester, and Lord Corn- 
wallis with the remainder occupied the city. 

This scattered condition of the royal army afforded Washington 
an opportunity similar to that presented at Trenton, and which he 
was not slow in endeavoring to improve. He chose Germantown for 
the point of attack, and made admirable arrangements for securing 
victory before Cornwallis could reinforce the enemy. Wayne and 
Sullivan were charged with the attack of the village in front by the 
main street from the side of Chestnut Hill. General Armstrong with 
the Pennsylvania militia was to move upon the rear, along the Ridge 
road, turning the enemy's left flank ; the same movement was to be 
effected on their right by Generals Forman and Smallwood, down the 
Old York road. Another column under Greene and Stephens was 
to attack the right wing in the centre of the town. The command 
of the reserve was entrusted to Lord Sterling. 

Before sunrise on the 4th of October, Wayne and Sullivan com- 
menced a furious attack upon the outposts, which gave way together 
with the light infantry and the fortieth regiment, losing all their bag- 
gage. Though closely pursued, Lieutenant-Colonel Musgravcwith six 
companies took refuge in a strong stone house, (Chew's House,) and 
severely galled the Americans by a fire of musketry from the doors 
and windows. Washington ordered a brigade to surround the house, 

4 



50 



WASHINGTON. 




Lord Howe. 

Dut the colonel refused to surrender, sustaining the fire of his antago 
nists until two brigades came to his assistance. The whole field was 
now in confusion in consequence of a heavy fog, which prevented the 
companies from seeing each other. General Greene however gained 
the centre of the village and was pressing the enemy to advantage, 
when he learned that the Americans were retreating in another 
quarter. Colonel Matthews routed a party of the British opposed 
to him, hilled several, and took one hundred and ten prisoners : but 
unable to see the brigade to which he belonged, he was taken with 
all his regiment. Washington could not distinguish friend from foe. 
Soon however, the rushing of his men as they swept by him in wild 
panic, told the sad tale that the fair prospects of the morning were 
blasted, and the day lost. He rode from post to post, trying to rally 
the fugitives, but in vain ; Greene's division was withdrawn from the 
village, and the whole army retreated to Skippack creek. Their 
loss was two" hundred killed, six hundred wounded, and four hundred 
made prisoners. The enemy lost six hundred, of whom one hundred 
were killed. 

The British had now obtained military possession of Philadelphia ; 
but in order to preserve it, they must open a communication with the 
fleet of Lord Howe. The vigilance of the Americans had placed 



BATTLE OF RED BANK. 



51 




Red Bant. 

many obstructions in the bay and river, and established a fort on 
Mud island, and another at Red Bank, -which they were determined 
to defend to the last extremity. The resolution was soon put to the 
test. On the 22d of October, Count Donop, a German officer, 
attacked the works at Red Bank with twelve hundred men. Five 
ships of the line moved up the river, and while the Hessians assaulted 
the works by land, the vessels poured into them a heavy cannonade 
from the water. But they met with an opposition as terrible as it 
was unexpected. The garrison were principally militia, commanded 
by Colonel Christopher Greene ; yet chafed by the loss of the capital, 
and animated by their noble leader, they fought like veterans. Rank 
after rank of the enemy sunk beneath their unerring aim, until at 
length the gallant Count, while cheering on his men, fell, mortally 
wounded. His soldiers retreated, leaving one third of their comrades 
upon the bloody field. The ships continued to discharge shells and 
red-hot shot until late at night, but with very little effect. Their 
own loss was severe and unexpected. The Augusta, a seventy-four 
gun ship, with the sloop Merlin, ran aground, — could not be set 
afloat, and subsequently blew up. On the following morning the 
cannonade was renewed ; but the British soon became convinced of 
its futility, and withdrew. 

Severe as was this repulse, Howe still persevered in opening the 
wished for communication. On the 10th of November, Fort Mifflin 
was attacked from a heavy battery on Province island, within the 
distance of five hundred yards. The cannonade was continued almost 
incessantly for several days, and produced considerable impression. 
The American guns were nearly all dismounted, the block-houses 
and palisades beaten down, and the small garrison wearied out by 
unremitting exertion. Washington sent relief to the officers of the 
fort, but his instructions were positive that the place should be main- 
tained to the last extremity, and they were strictly and literally 



52 WASHINGTON. 

obeyed. The besiegers, finding that all their means would be required 
to obtain success, called in the assistance of their fleet. It was 
ascertained that in consequence of the obstructions thrown into the 
other parts of the river, the current had deepened the inner channel 
between Mud and Province islands, so as to admit of safe navigation 
for vessels of considerable burthen. The frigate Vigilant and a sloop 
of war were brought up this channel, and anchored within a hundred 
yards of the rear of the fort, from which position they were enabled 
to pour a destructive fire of cannon, musketry and grenades. The 
garrison fought with the heroism of men reduced to desperation. The 
tort was enveloped in smoke, broken only by the red flashes of artil- 
lery ; while the roar of cannon echoed and re-echoed far up the 
solitary shores of the Delaware. One portion after another of the de- 
fences sunk beneath the heavy fire of the British, until the 16th, when 
the fort was no longer tenable. The garrison accordingly withdrew 
under cover of the night ; the post at Red Bank was also evacuated, 
and thus, after six weeks hard labor, and heavy loss of lives and 
money, the enemy obtained a safe navigation of the river and bay. 

Meanwhile triumphant success had attended the American arms in 
the north. Early in the spring of this year, General Burgoyne had 
marched from Canada, with a splendid army of ten thousand men, 
for the purpose of overrunning New England, joining Sir Henry 
Clinton at New York, and thus completely severing the eastern from 
the other States, in order, subsequently, to subdue them at leisure. 
He was a most able general, and at first his success was equal to his 
abilities ; and but for the abilities of one man, there can be little 
doubt that the desired junction would have taken place. That man 
was General Schuyler. Although almost destitute of any regular 
force, and surrounded with suspicions from his superiors, and insub- 
ordination from his men, he vet kept the field without material loss, 
and by cutting off supplies, harassing detached parties, obstructing 
roads, tearing up bridges, and threatening the army in different quar- 
ters, — he so annoyed the enemy that they were often occupied a 
whole day in advancing one mile. Meanwhile troops were hurrying 
on from all parts of the country, and the American general saw with 
delight that his labors were soon to be rewarded, and victory perhaps 
gained before the fond anticipations of Burgoyne were realized. The 
first check of the British was at Bennington, where General Stark 
defeated a large detachment of the enemy under Breymen and Baum, 
taking about six hundred prisoners, together with nine hundred 
swords and one thousand muskets. At this important moment, 
Schuyler was superseded by General Gates. His feelings must have 
been excruciating ; but conscious of the magnitude of his services, 




burgoyne's surrender. 53 

he added to the lustre of his former labors, by the dignity of his 
resignation, and retired to a subordinate station still to prosecute that 
which had ever been his pride — the service of his country. 

Gates found the British gejieral so com- 
pletely hemmed in by the obstructions 
which Schuyler had thrown in his way, 
that he could neither advance nor retro- 
grade. On the 19th of September an en- 
gagement took place at Stillwater, which 
for obstinacy has few equals in the revo- 
lution. For four hours the fierce comba- 
tants fought hand to hand ; and ceased 
only when night had settled thick around 
General Schuyler. them. The Americans lost about three 

hundred and twenty, the British about six hundred. 

On the 7th of October, a second battle took place near Stillwater, 
in which the Americans killed and captured a great number of the 
enemy, penetrated to their camp, took nine pieces of brass cannon, 
and a German encampment with all its. equipage. 

These heavy losses convinced Burgoyne that his triumphs were 
ended, and that nothing but a speedy retreat could save him from 
rain. He accordingly attempted a retrograde movement to Fort 
George, but failed. He then determined to open a communication 
with Fort Edward, but in the midst of his preparations learned that 
that post had surrendered. No intelligence came from Clinton ; 
another battle would ruin him. Excessive toil had .worn down his 
army ; and hunger, and disease, and wretchedness had reduced the 
soldiers to mere skeletons. Under these circumstances a council of 
war was called, which unanimously decided upon a surrender ; this 
took place on the 17th of October. 

Glorious and important as was this event, it was very near becom- 
ing in its indirect consequences the ruin of the American cause. 
Rising into confidence with the apparent discouragement of the 
British at this unlooked for catastrophe, public opinion loudly required 
that some effort should be made to surprise or storm Howe's position 
at Philadelphia. Invidious comparisons were drawn between Gates 
and Washington, by a strong party hostile to the commander-in- 
chief. The triumph of one, and the comparative inactivity of the 
other, were attributed to a difference in their respective characters 
and abilities. It was urged also, that the rapid depreciation of paper 
money would extinguish the national resources, unless confidence 
were revived by the striking of a decisive blow. The greatness oi 
Washington's mind, and his peculiar fitness for the times in which he 



54 



WASHINGTON. 



was placed, were again wonderfully exhibited. Had he possessed 
in his temperament the least mixture of envy or personal ■vanity, or 
had the firm resolution of his mind been capable ol impression from 
the force of public clamor or private importunity, the independence 
of his country would, in all human probability, have been annihi- 
lated. But his prudent judgment prevailed over all personal consider- 
ation. A plot to supersede him was detected, its framers silenced 
by outbursts of popular indignation, and the pure one whom they 
wished to injure aggrandized more and more in the eyes of his coun- 
try and of the world. History has shed an unfading lustre around 
his conduct at that period, while the deeds and plottings of his oppo- 
nents have long been sleeping in kind oblivion. 

N the 4th of December, Sir William 
Howe left Philadelphia with four- 
teen thousand men, to try the for- 
tunes of war once more in pitched 
battle. He had hoped to surprise Washington, 
but being disappointed, endeavored to draw him 
from his secure position among the high hills 
near Germantown. Able manoeuvring took place, 
and both commanders changed their relative 
positions within sight of each other. Some 
sharp skirmishing took place, in which the loss on both sides was 
about one hundred. Both armies, with the whole surrounding popu- 
lation, were now awaiting with intense anxiety a battle, which 
promised to be more terrible than any of its predecessors in the same 
region, when suddenly Howe broke up his camp and marched rapidly 
to Philadelphia. This unexpected retreat of an able general, who, 
flushed with recent victories, had marched some miles for the express 
purpose of giving battle, is a proof of the estimation in which Wash- 
ington was held by military men of that period. 

The great severity of the season now rendered it necessary that 
the army should retire into winter quarters. Accordingly on the 
1 1th of December, the main body commenced its march to Valley 
Forge, a position about twenty-five miles from Philadelphia, on the 
western side of the Schuylkill, and equally distant from the Dela- 
ware above and below the city. A permanent camp was here formed 
from log huts having the interstices closed with mortar. In order 
to prevent all intercourse between the British army and the country, 
General Smallwood with his division took post at Wilmington, 
General Armstrong at Whitemarsh, while Colonel Morgan and 
numerous troops of cavalry scoured the whole country west of the 
Schuylkill. 




TREATY OF ALLIANCE WITH FRANCE. 



55 



*s:i «» 




TIE sufferings of the Americans at Valley Forge 
were more severe than any they had yet experi- 
enced. The troops were almost destitute of 
clothing and proper food. In this condition of 
affairs the commander was perplexed with the 
most alarming difficulties. He was empowered 
to seize all provisions within seventy miles of 
head-quarters, giving in return a certificate 
redeemable by the United States. No funds were provided to meet 
these demands, and as Sir William Howe paid liberally in gold and 
silver for all that was conveyed into the city, murmurs naturally 
arose, which tended much to diminish the popularity of the American 
cause. Washington exerted his authority to collect such supplies as 
were absolutely necessary ; but his conduct was loudly complained 
of by the people for its rigor, and by Congress for its lenity. The 
discontents increased to such an extent, that at length an organized 
conspiracy against the general-in-chief, was formed by several mili- 
tary officers and members of Congress. The triumph of General 
Gates at Saratoga was urged as evidence of what might be expected 
from a change in the command of the main army ; and the conduct 
of that officer left no doubt of his giving encouragement to the dis- 
affected. But the conspirators soon found that the affections of the 
American people were too firmly rooted upon their tried leader to be 
shaken by the feeble breath of faction. Their efforts recoiled upon 
themselves, and even the northern army, which had won its laurels 
under Gates, now clung to Washington. 

During these transactions, the whole country was filled with exulta- 
tion by the arrival of official intelligence, that a treaty of alliance, 
commerce and friendship, had been signed between the king of 
France and the United States. The British government treated this 
act as a declaration of war. 

While the army lay at Valley Forge, its scouts were so active in 
cutting off communication between the city and country, and inter- 
cepting supplies to the British, that Sir William Howe frequently 
found himself reduced to the greatest distress. 

The last important enterprise undertaken by the English general 
was an attempt to surprise Lafayette at Barren Hill. Failing in this, 
he resigned the command to Sir Henry Clinton. As the probable 
approach of a French fleet, rendered Philadelphia a dangerous posi- 
tion ; this officer resolved to evacuate the city, and withdraw the 
whole British force from the Delaware. 

The arrangements for this important movement attracted the 
attention of the commander-in-chief, who instantly commenced active 



56 



WASHINGTON. 



preparations lo impede the enemy's march through New Jersey. On 
the 17th of June, 1778, the British army crossed the Delaware and 
slowly moved toward New York. Immediately after, Washington 
crossed at Coryell's ferry with a force about equal to that of the 
British, and by occupying the higher grounds, preserved the power 
of civing or avoiding battle. The former course had been declared 
unadvisable by a council of war. General Lee declared that independ- 

.!'i.i<i i kiiiiifflis^ Jiiialii/.r w kWfu 




Council of "War before the Battle of Monmouth. 

ence was now sure, but that it might be lost by the ruin of the army, 
which would probably follow an attack on the British. Thirteen 
officers favored this opinion ; it was opposed by Wayne, Cadwalader 
and Greene, and partially by Lafayette. With the latter General 
Washington coincided, and resolved to risk a battle at all hazards. 

Early on the 28th, Sir Henry broke up his encampment near 
Monmouth Court House, and continued his retreat. The baggage 
was in front under General Knyphausen, while the strength of the 
army formed the rear division under the especial command of Lord 
Cornwallis. As the British were then within twelve miles of the 
heights of Middletown, where they would be in perfect security, 
Washington ordered Lee to attack their rear the moment it was in 
motion. Lee did so, and the rear of the Americans moved rapidly 
forward to support him. Washington rode on, full of hope and con- 



BATTLE OF MONMOUTH. 



57 



fidence, when to his utter astonishment he perceived the front in full 
retreat, without fighting, or exhibiting any reasons for so unexpected 
a movement. Some warm expressions to General Lee, exhibited the 
strong displeasure of the commander, and instant measures were 
adopted for arresting the advance of the English, and for reforming 
the disordered troops. The commander exerted himself in a manner 
as unusual to him as it was effective. He had determined on victory, 
and now he struggled with fortune for her reluctant gift. His whole 
form was convulsed with excitement, as galloping from rank to rank, 
amid showers of death, and mangled forms, and wildest uproar, he 
shouted to his legions to re-form. At the sound of that beloved voice, 
each soldier forgot his fear, and turned in the very face of the pursuing 
foe. The tide of victory turned with them. 

The left wing and second line were drawn up on an eminence, 
covered in front by a morass. Lord Sterling, who commanded the 
former, with the aid of Charrington's artillery repulsed the attack of 
a British column, and effectually checked their forward movement. 
The enemy then endeavored to turn the left flank of the Americans, 
but were roughly repulsed. Another attempt on the left was defeated 
with loss, by the judicious advance of the artillery and infantry under 
Greene. At this moment of confusion, Wayne rushed forward with 
his artillery, and drove back the enemy to the ground they had occu- 
pied in the morning. Here the flanks were covered by morasses and 
thick woods, and their front was accessible only by a narrow passage : 
but notwithstanding these difficulties, which were increased by the 
heat of the day and the fatigue of the troops, Washington resolved 
immediately to renew the battle. The artillery was advanced and 
opened on the British flank. General Poor with his own brigade and 
that of North Carolina, was ordered to turn the right flank of the 
enemy, while Woodward's brigade was directed against their left. 
Unfortunately the impediments of the ground protracted the comple- 
tion of these dispositions until the approach of night, for which reason 
the action was discontinued with the intention of re-commencing it 
on the ensuing morning. The flanking brigades remained in their 
respective positions ; and Washington passed the nisjht in his cloak, 
surrounded by his soldiers, who bivouacked on the battle field. 
During the night however the British silently decamped, and before 
daylight were so near the heights of Middletown as to render pursuit 
useless. 

Both parties claimed a victory at Monmouth, but the advantages 
were undoubtedly with the Americans. Clinton effected his retreat 
and saved his baggage ; but the Americans, after the check of Lee's 
van, repulsed the enemy, became in turn the assailants, and were 



58 WAS H I NGTON. 

only prevented from continuing the engagement, by the midnight 
retreat of the British. The American loss was eight officers, and 
sixty-one privates killed, and about one hundred and sixty wounded. 
The English army suffered more than double that amount, losing in 
the course of their retreat one hundred prisoners, and nearly one 
thousand deserters. 

For his behavior to Washington on the battle field, and subse- 
quently, General Lee was suspended from the army for a year. This 
ended his military career. 

The thanks of Congress were voted to Washington and his army 
for their conduct at Monmouth. " Never," savs Lafayette, " was 
General Washington greater in war than in this action. His presence 
stopped the retreat ; his dispositions fixed the victory. His fine 
appearance on horseback — his calm courage, roused by the vexa- 
tion of the morning, gave him the interest calculated to excite 
enthusiasm." 

Soon after the battle of Monmouth, the wisdom of the English 
commander in evacuating Philadelphia became apparent. Count 
D'Estaing appeared off the coast of Virginia with a fleet of twelve 
ships of the line and six frigates, having on board a respectable body 
of land troops. The original plan of these allies had been to attack 
the British naval force in the Delaware, and to unite with Washington 
in a general assault upon their lines at Philadelphia. A passage 
unusually tempestuous had defeated this well conceived plan, and 
probably saved the whole British force. The French fleet after- 
wards sailed for Newport. 

Some unimportant skirmishes took place in the autumn, but nothing 
of importance was effected until December, when the Americans 
retired into winter quarters, the main army occupying both sides of 
the North river about West Point, and at Middlebrook, New Jersey. 

The first enterprise proposed by Congress for the ensuing campaign, 
was a decisive movement against the western Indians. The settle- 
ment of Wyoming in Pennsylvania had been completely destroyed 
by a body of tories and savages under Colonel John Butler, and the 
Indian chief Brandt ; while in other parts of the frontier the toma- 
hawk and scalping knife had been employed with such fearful 
barbarity as to render this expedition of primary importance. The 
Onondagos and Six Nations were effectually chastised by Colonel 
Van Schaick and General Sullivan. 

In May, Sir Henry Clinton moved up the North river, threatened 
an invasion of the Eastern States, and captured Fort Fayette and 
Stony Point. The recapture of the latter place by General Wayne, 
was one of the most brilliant achievements of the revolution. 



TREASON OF ARNOLD. 



59 




EST POINT now became a most impor- 
tant post to the American cause, on 
account of its commanding the naviga- 
tion of the river. It was menaced by 
the British armament, and most proba- 
bly owed its safety to the prompt opera- 
tions of Washington, who had closely 
followed the enemy's movements, and 
so posted his army as to deter them 
from a further prosecution of the enter- 
prise. 

No other event of great importance took place between the main 
armies this year. The Americans passed the winter, (1779-80,) 
near West Point and Middlebrook, the British in New York. The 
sufferings of the Americans during the winter were extreme. The 
army sometimes remained for several successive days without meat, 
and the pay was five months in arrear, with no prospect of liquida- 
tion. Some of the Connecticut regiments mutinied ; and numbers 
were daily retiring at the expiration of their term of enlistment. By 
actual returns made on the 3d of June, the army under Washington's 
immediate control, included only three thousand seven hundred and 
fifty men fit for duty. On the 18th of the same month, by the 
return of Sir Henry Clinton, the British force in New York counted 
twelve thousand regulars ready for immediate action. 

The arrival of Count Rochambeau and his army in July, found 
the Americans not only unprepared for active operations, but with- 
out any certainty as to the strength of the expected forces of the 
states. An attack upon New York was planned, but not executed, 
and much to the mortification of Washington, the season passed 
away without any active operations. It will ever be noted, however, 
for one event, perhaps the most singular, certainly the most unlooked 
for, of the whole war. This was the treason of Benedict Arnold. 

By his courage, fortitude, and active services, this officer had won 
the esteem of the nation, and was entrusted with the important com- 
mand of West Point. Pecuniary distress produced by thoughtless 
prodigality, led a mind not fortified by honorable principle into 
the crime of peculation. By the assistance of Major Andre, he 
carried on a clandestine intercourse with Clinton, but was frustrated 
in his plans, and obliged to fly. Major Andre was captured, and 
shared the fate which should have befallen Arnold. Perhaps no 
event of the whole war was so deeply painful to Washington as the 
fate of this unfortunate young man. 

The chivalrous generosity of Washington's character was exhibited 



60 WASH IN GTO N. 

in a small incident connected with these transactions. Mrs. Arnold 
was left by her husband's flight in the most distressing agonies. 
Every effort was made to overtake the traitor ; but as soon as his 
escape was ascertained, the commander announced it to the unfortu- 
nate lady in a respectful message. It reflects honor on the American 
character, that at this moment of excitement Mrs. Arnold was allowed 
to proceed to Philadelphia, collect her husband's property and rejoin 
him in New York, not only without the least interruption or insult, 
but with all the assistance her convenience required. 

Early in December, the Americans retired into winter quarters 
near Morristown, and on the Hudson. A serious revolt in the Penn- 
sylvania line, [January, 1781,] threatened disastrous consequences, 
and was quelled with difficulty. 

In the spring, Arnold invaded Virginia, and after committing 
various devastations, was joined by Lord Cornwallis. Lafayette 
acted against them ; but his force was so small, that on one occasion, 
he escaped capture only by the most active manoeuvring. Cornwallis 
did not pursue his advantage, but retired, first to Portsmouth, and 
afterwards to Yorktown, which he proceeded to fortify. 

Meanwhile, active preparations were going on for a grand com- 
bined attack upon New York. That city was protected by a force 
of eleven thousand men under Sir Henry Clinton. The prospect of 
a blow which would finish the war, excited many of the states to 
new exertions in order to raise the required supplies. Such, how- 
ever, was the low ebb of public credit, that probably, but for a private 
citizen, the active preparations for the campaign would have been 
frustrated. That citizen was Robert Morris, a princely merchant, 
such as few countries have ever possessed, and one who united to 
immense wealth and credit, the talents and foresight of a statesman. 

It was soon ascertained, however, that the destination of the 
French fleet under Count de Grasse, was not New York, but the 
Chesapeake ; and numerous other events tended to damp the hopes 
of Washington. But he was soon relieved by intelligence of the 
brilliant success of General Greene in the south, and that Lord Corn- 
wallis had been driven into Yorktown. He therefore began to think 
seriously of changing his plan, and though still keeping up appear- 
ances before New York, to march rapidly toward Yorktown and 
capture Cornwallis before succor could reach him from the main 
army. 

The execution of this admirable plan was immediately commenced 
By various stratagems, Sir Henry was completely deceived, and 
even after the Americans had begun their march southward, imagined 
it to be but a feint for the purpose of drawing him from his position. 



BATTLE OF YORKTOWN. 



63 



The whole French force with more than two thousand continentals 
marched upon this expedition, leaving the defence of the Hudson to 
Major General Heath. 

After a personal interview with the Count de Grasse, during 
which flie plan of attack was arranged, Washington, Rochambeau, 
and other officers proceeded towards Yorktown. On the 25th of 
December, 1781, the last division of the army landed in James 
River, and soon after the siege was commenced in form. Including 
militia, the besiegers numbered sixteen thousand men. 

York is a small town on the south side of a broad river of the 
same name, in which a ship of the line can lie in safety. On the 
north bank opposite to the town is Gloucester Point, a long neck of 
land running far into the river, and approaching within a mile of 
York. Both these positions were fortified by the British, and the 
communication between them preserved by batteries and vessels of 
war. The main army lay around York, under cover of redoubts and 
field works, while Lieutenant-Colonel Dundas with nearly seven hun- 
dred men occupied Gloucester. The French General de Choise was 
appointed to watch the latter place, and after a spirited action com- 
pelled the enemy to retire within their fortifications. 

On the 28th, the allies advanced by different roads, to occupy the 
ground fixed upon. The British piquets and cavalry were driven in, 
and a further movement on the following day, induced Lord Corn- 
wallis to abandon his outer lines. These were occupied by the allies, 
who thus completed the investment. On the night of the 6th of 
October, the trenches of the first parallel were commenced, within 
six hundred yards of the works ; and by the 10th, several redoubts 
and batteries were completed. The fire of the besiegers then became 
so heavy that scarcely a shot was returned, and the Charon of forty- 
four guns, with three large transports, was destroyed by shells and 
red-hot balls. The high spirit of esteem and emulation existing 
between the allies, produced the most beneficial effects upon the 
activity of all the operations. On the night of the 1 1th, the distance 
between the belligerents was reduced one half, by the commence- 
ment of the second parallel ; but the fire of the garrison became 
destructive from several newly opened embrasures, and particularly 
from two advanced redoubts. On the 14th, one of these was stormed 
by the Americans under Lafayette, and the other by Baron Viominel 
and the French troops. Both works were carried without discharging 
a gun, and their cannon turned on the garrison. One hundred pieces 
of artillery were now ready to open on the following morning. 

Cornwallis was now in a most perilous situation ; his works were 
almost ruined, and he foresaw too plainly the terrible effects that 



64 



WASHINGTON. 



would follow the opening of such a train. On the evening of the 
16th, a sortie was attempted, for the purpose of destroying two bat- 
teries ; but the troops were compelled to retire without havino- 
effected any thing of importance. The enterprising commander 
then formed the daring resolution of abandoning his sick and wftunded, 
crossing York river by night, routing de Choise at Gloucester Point, 




Surrender of Cornwall is. 

and pushing by forced marches for New York. This movement was 
in full progress, and part of the army had actually landed at Glou- 
cester, when a storm dispersed the boats, and compelled the return 
of the British general to his former desperate situation. 

On the following morning, (17th,) the garrison beat a parley, and 
negotiations commenced for a capitulation. On the 19th, both the 
British posts, with more than seven thousand men, and all the mili- 
tary stores, surrendered to General Washington. The shipping and 
seamen were yielded to the Count de Grasse. 

The total loss of the British in killed and wounded was about five 
hundred ; that of the Americans three hundred. 

The news of this event was received throughout the Union with a 
burst of exultation. Congress voted their thanks to General Wash- 
ington, Count Rochambeau and Count de Grasse, and their respective 



EXECUTION OF CAPTAIN HUDDY. 



65 



forces. Trophies weie voted to the three commanders, and a day 
of thanksgiving to Divine Providence appointed. The state legis- 
latures, and other public bodies, adopted similar resolutions. 

After the capture, of Cornwallis, Washington returned with the 
American forces to New York, and the French troops remained in 
Virginia. The commander immediately urged upon Congress the 
necessity of making active preparations to improve the late important 
victory, so as to finish the war in the following campaign. The 
same difficulties, however, which had ever cramped the movements 
of that body, continued to operate — want of funds, want of credit, 
want of energy. Notwithstanding the faithful exhortations of Wash- 
ington, the year 1782 passed away in absolute idleness; and a 
feeling was daily gaining ground that the war would soon be brought 
to a close. 

An event of secondary interest, which occurred just before the 
close of the war, deserves mention, inasmuch as it not only exhibits 
the popular feeling at that time, but also places in a strong light, the 
cautious vigilance of Washington, whenever the safety of his people 
required it. 

An association of American refugees had been formed by Sir Henry 
Clinton, for the purpose of retaliating on the Americans, and reim- 
bursing their losses sustained during the war. A party of these 
captured Captain Joshua Huddy, and after keeping him in close 
custody for nineteen days, hung him under circumstances of aggra- 
vated cruelty. Washington immediately wrote to Sir Henry Clinton, 
demanding the murderers under penalty of retaliation. This was 
refused, and lots were cast between the British prisoners for a subject 
of retaliation. The lot fell upon Captain Asgill, a young man but 
twenty years of age, of respectable family, and considerable acquire- 
ments. Meanwhile Sir Guy Carleton assumed command of the 
British forces, and a court-martial was appointed for the trial of 
Captain Lippencott, who was supposed to be the principal agent in 
executing Huddy. As it appeared that this individual acted under 
orders from the associate royalists, and not from malice or ill will, he 
was acquitted. Soon after, Sir Guy broke up the society of refugees, 
and thus removed the probability of future retaliation. Washington 
however still persisted in his determination, although he allowed the 
unfortunate Asgill every amelioration which his circumstances de- 
manded. 

Some months after the execution of Huddy, Washington received 
a letter from the Count de Vergennes interceding for Captain Asgill, 
which was accompanied by a pathetic one from his mother, Mrs. 
Asgill. The Fren'ch king and queen, also interceded for him. Copies 



66 



WASHINGTON. 




Captain Asgill, 



of these letters were forwarded to Congress, who soon after resolved 
that the commander-in-chief be directed to set Captain Asgill at 
liberty. Accordingly, after having received every indulgence, the 
captain was permitted to join his friends in New York. 

Early in 1783 a definite treaty of peace, acknowledging the inde- 
pendence of the United States, was signed by Great Britain, and 
transmitted by Dr. Franklin to America. Washington proclaimed 
it to the army in April, just eight years after the battle of Lexington. 
America had achieved her independence, but dangers more formidable 
than a struggle with Britain now stared her in the face. Hitherto 
common dangers had produced general interests ; now this tie no 
longer existed ; and, destitute of a national government, or mutual 
credit, the. avenues to dissension and civil war were flung widely 
open. Happily, the confidence of the people in the great man who 
had successfully conducted them through the war* of independence, 



MOUNT VERNON. 



67 




at Vernon, 

was unshaken ; and on him all classes now leaned, as the supporting- 
pillar of the new republic. 

On the 4th of December, at the city of New York, Washington 
took leave of his long-tried army. Its disbandment by a government 
unable to settle arrears, or to furnish a single month's pay in order 
to transport the soldiers to their homes, forms one of the most re- 
markable events of our history. But the beloved name of Washing- 
ton calmed every murmur, and cheered every heart. His own 
emotions on the occasion were too strong to be c mcealecl. Tears 
stood in every eye, and not a word disturbed the solemnity of the 
sublime spectacle : then, after parting with the officers, the war-worn 
commander embarked in a barge and waved his hat : the assembled 
veterans answered with the same respectful and affectionate farewell, 
and returned to their homes in silent melancholy. 

After resigning his office as commander-in-chief of the army 
(December 23d), Washington retired to Mount Vernon, followed by 
the veneration and love of his grateful countrymen. " I feel myself 
eased," was his language on this occasion, " of a load of public care, 
and hope to spend the remainder of my days in cultivating the affec- 
tions of all good men, and in the practice of domestic virtue." 

Here, on the banks of the Potomac, amid the scenes of his youth- 
ful enjoyments, Washington desired to pass the residue of his life. 
Resolutions, letters, votes of esteem, etc., from all parts of the Union, 
continually disturbed, however, the quiet of his retirement. Unani- 
mous votes for the erection of his statue were adopted both by Con- 
gress and the Virginia legislature, and the latter presented him with 



68 WASHINGTON. 

one hundred and fifty shares in a public improvement ; but the gift 
was declined, otherwise than as a trust for the general welfare. 

When the situation of the country imperatively demanded a change 
of government, Washington was chosen president of the convention 
which assembled at Philadelphia to frame a constitution. When 
this instrument was adopted, all eyes were turned upon Washington 
as the first president, each feeling that without him the great experi- 
ment of free government would be but a feeble attempt. " It is to 
little purpose," remarked Alexander Hamilton, " to introduce a 
system, if the weightiest influence is not given to its firm establish- 
ment in the outset." 

On the 14th of April, 1789, his unanimous election was announced 
to the president at Mount Vernon. He heard it with unfeigned 
regret, but did not consider that his love of private life should inter- 
fere with so solemn a call from his country. The state of his mind 
at setting out for the capital, is displayed by the following extract 
from his diary. " About ten o'clock I bade adieu to Mount Vernon, 
to private life, and to domestic felicity, with a mind oppressed with 
more anxious and painful sensations than I have words to express." 

On the 30th of April his inauguration took place. 

The administration of Washington was marked by great and stir- 
ring events. It completed the foundation of the United States, gave 
her union at home, and respectability abroad. Every department 
leaned on the president, and officers and people received his opinions 
and views as oracles. He restored revenue to his country, and laid 
the basis of its treasury ; tamed the Indians of the west, and united 
all parties into a neutrality with respect to the European powers. 
When the French revolution broke out, he alone saved the country 
from a war in which it was eager to rush, and which, in all human 
probability, would have sealed its destruction. When Genet would 
have frustrated his caution by appealing from the president to the 
people, he awed him into silence by the dignity of his deportment. 
This was the most delicate period of his life. Sympathy with a 
gallant ally, who was supposed to be struggling for that independence 
which she had helped us to gain, had created a strong party favorable 
to France, who regarded any position short of actual warfare with 
her rival, as ungrateful and dishonorable. At the same time the 
mercantile community loudly complained of their embarrassed com- 
merce ; the west threatened disunion because they were barred from 
the natural outlet of their produce ; while the insurrectionary resist- 
ance to the excise law in Pennsylvania was subdued only by military 
force. 

Amid all these difficulties the President remained firm, neither 



HIS DEATH. 



69 



swayed by the insults of Genet on one siae, nor the clamors against 
England on the other. Time justified his policy. A treaty of amity 
was negotiated with Great Britain by Mr. Jay ; another with Algiers, 
and a third with Spain, settling the important points of boundary and 
the Mississippi question. France still continued refractory. 

In 179 6, the second term of President Washington expired, and 
no argument could induce him to accept of a re-eleclion. After the 
inauguration of his successor, Mr. Adams, (March 4th, 1797,) he 
retired from the arena of public life. 

Washington died December 15th, 1799, of an inflammatory sore 
throat, caused by exposure to a slight rain. When the solemn hour 
drew nigh, he with much difficulty addressed his friend Dr. Craik, 
" Doctor, I am dying, and I have been dying for a long time, but I am 
not afraid to die." 

The intelligence of this melancholy event produced a sensation 
throughout the Union, greater than that ever experienced on any 
other similar occasion. Congress immediately adjourned. The 
speaker's chair was shrouded in black, and the members wore 
mourning during the remainder of the session. An immense con- 
course of citizens attended his funeral, Congress passed resolutions 
declaring him " first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his 
fellow citizens." "On this occasion," said the address of the Senate, 
" it is manly to weep ; to lose such a man, at such a crisis, is no 
common calamity to the world. Our country mourns a father. The 
Almighty Disposer of human events, has taken from us our greatest 
benefactor and ornament. It becomes us to submit with reverence 
to Him, who maketh the darkness his pavilion." 

The remains of Washington were deposited, according to his 
request, in the old family vault at Mount Vernon. They were at 
first enclosed in a leaden coffin, but were subsequently placed (Octo- 
ber 8th, 1837,) in a beautiful marble sarcophagus, constructed at his 
own cost, by Mr. Struthers, of Philadelphia. 

The, tomb of Washington deserves a passing notice. It consists 
of a simple excavation in a sloping hill, which has a southern 




Sarcophagus of Washington. 



70 



W A S II I N G T O N. 




Lad of Sarcophagus. 

exposure upon a thickly wooded dell. The walls are built of brick, 
and arched over at the height of eight feet above the level of the 
ground. The front of the tombstone is rough-cast, and has a plain 
iron door inserted in a strong freestone casement. Over the door is 
placed a sculptured stone pane], upon which are inscribed these 
words : — 

"I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE, HE THAT BELIEVETH 
IN ME, THOUGH HE WERE DEAD, YET SHALL HE LIVE." 




Old Tomb of Washington. 

At a small distance from the walls of the tomb, and surrounding 
it on all sides, there is an enclosure of brick-work, elevated to a 
height of twelve feet, and guarded in front by an iron gateway, 



WASHINGTON S CHARACTER. 



71 



opening several feet in advance of the vault door. Upon a plain 
slab, inserted in the brick-work over this grate is sculptured : 

" WITHIN THIS ENCLOSURE, REST THE REMAINS OF 
GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON." 

Washington possessed a fine person, a stature above the common 
size, and a deportment easy, erect and noble. He was the best 
horseman of- his age, and the most graceful figure to be seen on 
horseback. To these advantages he united a constitution vigorous 
and capable of enduring the greatest fatigue. 

But it was the mind of Washington', which rendered him immor- 
tal. If the greatness of human character is to be estimated, by the 
solid monuments it has raised, there is no name in all history to 
compare with his. If asked how national independence was achieved ; 
how our distressed armies could escape the foe's superiority, and 
finally triumph, we would point to the valor and prudence of the 
commander-in-chief. To his virtue, firmness and wisdom, are due the 
foundation and successful impulse of republican government whose 
benefits will be felt, long after men have ceased to admire its splendor 
and wonderful conception. " His character," says Jefferson, "was in 
its mass perfect, in nothing bad, in few points indifferent ; and it 
may truly be said that never did nature and fortune combine more 
perfectly to make a man great, and to place him in the same con- 
stellation with whatever worthies have merited from mankind an 
everlasting remembrance." So Mr. Adams : — " The example of 
Washington is now complete ; it will teach wisdom and virtue to 
magistrates, citizens, and men, not only in the present age, but in 
future generations, as long as our history shall be read." 




New Tomb of Washington. 




GENERAL MONTGOMERY. 




ENERAL RICHARD MONTGOMERY, the 
third son of Thomas Montgomery, was born 
in 1737, or, according to Armstrong, on the 
2d of December, 1736, at " Convoy House," 
near Raphoe, in the north of Ireland. Little 
is known of his early life. When quite young, 
he was placed at Dublin College, where he 
acquired a good education. On account of the unsettled state of 
Europe at that time, the principal sphere of distinction was the army, 
and in accordance with the wishes of his father, Montgomery entered 
it at the age of eighteen. 

America was the field in which General Montgomery first distin- 
guished himself as a practical soldier. The losses of the English in 
the old French war, had led to a change of cabinet, and under the 
auspices of the new one, Montgomery's regiment was ordered to 
America, to take part in the expedition against Louisburg. They 

72 



HIS ARRIVAL IN AMERICA. 



75 



sailed in 1757, and early in the following year assembled at Halifax, 
preparatory to embarking for Louisburg. On the 28th of May, a 
large naval and military force under General Amherst and Admiral 
Boscawen sailed from Halifax, and landed on Cape Breton Island on 
the 8th of June. The landing was effected in boats, amid a heavy 
fire from the French batteries. The division of General Wolfe 
reached the shore first, routed a party of the enemy, and covered the 
embarkment of the remainder of the army. In this affair Mont- 
gomery behaved so bravely, as not only to receive the warmest com- 
mendations of the commander, but the immediate appointment to a 
lieutenancy. 

The siege of the fortress was conducted in a desultory and unscien- 
tific manner. Most of the troops were but New England militia, 
strangers to discipline and military operations ; and it is more than 
probable, that even notwithstanding the paucity and sickness of the 
garrison, the expedition would have been a failure, but for the cow- 
ardice and inefficiency of the French commandant. On the 27th of 
July, the garrison of five thousand men surrendered a stronghold 
on which years of labor, and immense sums of money had been 
expended, and which was called the Gibraltar of America. During 
this whole siege, Montgomery fully maintained the high opinion 
formed of him at its commencement. His knowledge of military 
tactics, appears to have been almost intuitive. 

Upon the reception of news of Abercrombie's defeat at Ticonderoga, 
General Amherst hurried on a portion of his army to assist in retriev- 
ing that disaster. Montgomery was in this division, and with his 
fellow officers remained near Lake Champlain until the surrender 
of Montreal, in 1760. 

In the subsequent expeditions of the troops against Martinico 
and Havana, Montgomery maintained his reputation for skill and 
bravery, and amid all the calamities which attended the soldiers in a 
tropical climate, he endeared himself to his command by the kindness 
and compassion with which he administered to their wants 

At the close of the war, Montgomery was permitted to return to 
Europe, where he remained until 1772. Toward the close of that 
year, he resigned the service, sailed for America, and arrived in 
New York in the following January. He purchased a farm in the 
neighborhood of that city, but soon afterward removed to Duchess 
county, where for a long time he devoted himself to the pursuit of 
agriculture. While at the former place he married the eldest daugh- 
ter of R. R. Livingston, one of the judges of the Supreme Court of 
the province, and subsequently member of the Continental Congress. 

As the dispute between England and her colonies had now become 




76 MONTGOMERV. 

serious, it was impossible for an individual circumstanced like Mont- 
gomery to remain neutral. Accordingly, he took a decided part for 
the cause of freedom, and in April, 1775, he was elected to represent 
Duchess county in the delegation to the first New York provincial 
convention. The labors of the convention seem to have been rather 
tedious and unsatisfactory, and finally resulted in little good to the 
cause to espouse which they had convened. 

> OON after the meeting of this body, Mont- 
gomery received a more highly important 
office than any that had hitherto fallen 
to his lot, and one, too, of which he had 
little expectation. In June, the Continental Con- 
gress appointed four major, and eight brigadier 
generals, naming among the latter Montgomery. 
His surprise at the news of this flattering distinc- 
tion was equalled by his modest though heartfelt 
acknowledgment of it ; and with the acceptance of that commission 
commenced his brief but glorious career in the cause of freedom. 

The name of Montgomery is inseparably blended with the history 
of the expedition against Quebec. That disastrous campaign was a 
sad proof of the necessity of experience among the leaders of so im- 
portant and novel a movement as the war of independence. It was 
undertaken upon insufficient data, and, as a necessary consequence, 
all its movements were desultory, and almost entirely controlled by 
circumstances. Congress was led to plan the invasion for several 
reasons. The population of Canada was mostly French, and not ill 
disposed either to assert their own independence, or to join the move- 
ments of their southern brethren. The Indians of the province were 
far more numerous than the whites, and would take part with the 
strongest side ; and in addition to these, the contiguity of Canada to 
the colonies, afforded the British an excellent entrance into New York 
and New England, which it was highly important to close. Had the 
information of Congress been ample and correct, and their means 
sufficient to meet their plans, there is little doubt but that the expe- 
dition would have been crowned with success. 

The army was to enter Canada by two routes. Its first division, 
consisting of three thousand men, was to proceed up the Sorel 
against Forts St. John and Chamblee, and then crossing the St. 
Lawrence, to capture Montreal ; while a thousand men, composing 
the second portion, were to march along the Kennebec to its head, 
then across the country to Quebec in time to effect a union with the 
main army, preparatory to a simultaneous attack upon that city. 
The whole was commanded by Major General Schuyler. 



INVASION OF CANADA. 



77 




General Montgomery commanded the 
first of these divisions, and repaired to 
Ticonderoga on the 17th of August. He 
here learned that Sir Guy Carleton, the 
military governor of Canada, was preparing 
a naval force destined to act on Lake Cham- 
plain, and whose object was, to prevent the 
crossing of the American troops after they 
should have arrived at the St. Lawrence. 
As immediate action was now of vital im- 
i5C''S>~ij ^^^^4BS0^ portance, he determined to take posses- 
sion of the Isle Aux Noix in the lake, and wrote to General 
Schuyler, signifying his intention to that effect, and entreating his 
immediate presence. Without awaiting the arrival of this com- 
mander, he selected about one thousand men, and two pieces of 
cannon, and embarked on the lake, August 26th. The weather was 
so boisterous that he was not able to reach the island before the 5th 
of September, on which day he was joined by Major General Schuyler, 
who determined upon a nearer approach to the enemy, both with a 
view of reconnoitering their position, and of enlisting the esteem and 
confidence of the population. This manoeuvre was signally success- 
ful, the army landing within about a mile and a half of St. Johns 
without encountering opposition. The troops were soon formed and 
marched toward the fort. In this movement, while fording a creek, 
they met with a party of Indians, who fired upon their left, and 
threw it into disorder. But Montgomery hastened forward with the 
other troops, and speedily repulsed the assailants with some loss. 

The same night Schuyler received important information from 
an individual, to all appearances friendly : — whether he was so or 
not was never ascertained, but his account was afterwards found to 
be widely different from the truth. He stated that the British had 
but one regular corps in Canada, who, with the exception of fifty 
men at Montreal, were stationed at St. Johns and Chamblee ; that 
these forts were strongly fortified and abundantly supplied ; that one 
hundred Indians were at the former, and a large body under Colonel 
Johnson at some other station ; that the vessel intended for the lake, 
carrying sixteen guns, would sail in three or four days ; that the 
American army need expect nothing from the Canadians, their wish 
being to remain neutral, provided, their persons and property were 
respected, and all articles furnished by them or taken from them, 
paid for in gold or silver ; that an attack upon St. Johns would, under 
present circumstances, be imprudent, and that it would be proper to 
return to the Isle Aux Noix, as, from that point, a communication 



78 



MONTGOMER Y. 



with the inhabitants of Laprairie might be usefully opened. Every 
item of this information was incorrect. Most of the Canadians were 
well disposed toward the Americans, and, until some unfortunate 
conduct of our army, considerable numbers joined it : two regiments 
were in Canada instead of one, and no large body of Indians had 
any where assembled. 

The intelligence was submitted to a council of war, who agreed 
with the commander in thinking a return to the island expedient. 
Here General Schuyler's increasing ill health rendered him unfit for 
service, and he retired to Ticonderoga, leaving the command of the 




Huins of Fort Ticonderoga. 



expedition with General Montgomery. In his report, to Congress 
he speaks thus of the latter officer. " I cannot estimate the obliga- 
tions I lie under to General Montgomery for the many important 
services he has done and daily does, and in which he has had little 
assistance from me, as I have not enjoyed a moment's health since I 
left Fort George, and am now so low as not to be able to hold the 
pen. Should we not be able to do any thing decisively in Canada, 
I shall judge it best to move from this place, which is a very wet 
and unhealthy part of the country ; unless I receive your orders to 
the contrary." 



SIEGE OP ST. JOHNS. 



79 




ONTGOMERY remained at the island only 
long enough to receive a reinforcement of 
men and a few pieces of artillery. He then 
re-embarked, again landed at St. Johns, and 
commenced operations for its investure. 
On the 18th of September, he marched will i 
a party of five hundred men to the north of 
the fort, where he met a considerable portion of the garrison return- 
ing from a repulse of an American party under Major Brown. A 
skirmish ensued, which in a few minutes terminated in the repulse 
of the enemy, who fled in disorder. But for a timidity among the 
Americans, the whole party might have been captured. In speaking 
of his men, General Montgomery says, " As soon as we saw the 
enemy, the old story of treachery spread among the men ; and the 
cry was, we are trepanned and drawn under the guns of the fort. 
The woodsmen were less expert in forming than I had expected, and 
too many of them hung back. Had we kept more silence we should 
have taken a field piece or two." 

Montgomery now determined to push the siege of St. Johns with 
all possible vigor. In order to cut off supplies, he established a camp 
at the junction of the two roads leading to Chamblee and Montreal, 
and defended it with a ditch, and a garrison of three hundred men. 
But he was surrounded with difficulties. His artillery was so light 
as to make little impression upon the walls, and the artillerists were 
raw and unskilful. Besides, his ammunition was almost exhausted, 
and the engineer was as ignorant of duty as were the artillerists. 
To all these was added another difficulty far greater than the rest, — 
his men, through constant exposure to a damp soil and unhealthy 
climate, and unused to the rules of war, had become insubordinate, 
and even mutinous ; and the circumstances in which the commander 
was placed, effectually prevented him from enforcing discipline 
This feeling was openly exhibited in an attempt of the general to 
remove the seat of his active operations to the north side of the town ; 
and so palpable were its demonstrations that he was forced to com. 
promise with professional dignity, and submit his own opinion to that 
of a board of officers. They refused to accede to his plan, and it 
was for the time abandoned. Subsequently, however, their consent 
was obtained, and a position taken to the north-west of the fort. 

Meanwhile an event took place, as fortunate as it was unexpected, 
and whose success decided the fate of the garrison. A gentleman 
from New York, named James Livingston, had resided for a consider- 
able time in Canada, and by a proper course of conduct had won the 
esteem of a large number of the inhabitants. As he was known to 



80 



MONTGOMERY. 




Sir Guy Carleton. 

be favorable to the cause of liberty, Montgomery determined to 
employ his popularity in service to himself. Accordingly, at the 
instigation of the general, he organized a number of the inhabitants 
into an armed corps, promising the protection of Congress to all 
their movements. In company with Major Brown, he speedily made 
himself master of Fort Chamblee, including all the garrison, one 
hundred and twenty-six barrels of gunpowder, and a large amount 
of military and other stores. Governor Carleton now found it expe- 
dient to leave Montreal, where he had remained during the siege of 
St. Johns, and attempt deceiving his enemy by manoeuvring in open 
field His force was small, and divided by factions. It was princi- 
pally composed of disaffected militia, with some Scotch emigrants, 
and may be estimated at about twelve hundred men. On the 31st 
of October he crossed the St. Lawrence opposite Longueil, whence 
he determined, after mustering his forces, to march against the 
besieging army. 






EXPLOIT OP WARNER. 



81 







Quebec. 

The movements of Sir Guy, though conducted witn considerable 
secrecy, did not escape the vigilant eye of Montgomery, who had 
for some time expected such a proceeding. He had previously 
ordered Warner to take a position with two regiments on the Longueil 
road, ordering him to patrol that route carefully and frequently, as 
far as the St. Lawrence ; to report daily to the commanding general 
such information as he might be able to obtain ; and lastly, to attack 
any party of the enemy indicating an intention of moving in the direc- 
tion of the American camp, or in that of the Scotch emigrants. 
Warner arrived at Longueil on the morning of the same day that 
Carleton was preparing to cross, but did not «jisplay his forces until 
the British had nearly reached the shore. He then suddenly opened 
upon them with both musketry and artillery, killing many of the 
soldiers, and scattering and disabling the boats. By a most fortu- 
nate coincidence, Livingston, Brown and Easton at the same time 
approached the only station of Carleton south of the St. Lawrence, 
commanded by M'Clean, who broke up his position in despair, and 
embarking hastily, descended the river towards Quebec. 

The intelligence of these gratifying events was immediately com- 
municated to Genera] Montgomery, who presented them in a written 
form to the commandant at St. Johns, urging the impossibility of his 

6 



82 MONTGOMERY. 

deriving relief from Carleton, and the useless waste of blood and 
treasure that must attend a further prolongation of the siege. After 
proper consideration the garrison surrendered. 

Montgomery now determined upon a rapid movement on Montreal, 
but was much impeded in his operations by the disaffection of his 
troops, who claimed immediate discharge. He finally compromised 
with them by promising their discharge at Montreal ; and then moved 
rapidly upon the city, where he displayed so bold a front that on the 
12th of November it surrendered. He thus obtained possession of 
all the armed force and different stores of the town, together with 
eleven vessels and their armaments in the harbor. Previous to this, 
General Carleton had retreated to his fleet, with the hope of making 
his escape through that avenue ; but finding this impossible, he 
entered a small boat with muffled oars, and, under cover of a dark 
night, passed through the American fleet and batteries without being 
perceived, and hurried on towards Quebec. His escape was the ruin 
of the Canadian expedition. 

Part of the plan had thus been successful, but the advantages 
gained showed more distinctly the difficulties that were to follow. 
Unexpected fortune had placed Montreal at the disposal of the in- 
vaders, but the strongest city of America was yet in possession of 
their enemy, and its capture was absolutely indispensable to the 
subjugation of the province. The following extracts from a letter to 
R. R. Livingston, then member of Congress, are a faithful picture of 
the embarrassments under which he labored. 

" I need not tell you that till Quebec is taken, Canada is uncon- 
quered ; and that to accomplish this, we must resort to siege, invest- 
ment, or storm. The first of these is out of the question, from the 
difficulty of making trenches in a Canadian winter, and the greater 
difficulty of living in them if we could make them ; secondly, from 
the nature of the soil, which, as I am at present instructed, renders 
mining impracticable, and were this otherwise, from the want of an 
engineer having sufficient skill to direct the process ; and thirdly, 
from the fewness and lightness of our artillery, which is quite unfit 
to break walls like those of Quebec. Investment has fewer objections, 
and might be sufficient were we able to shut out entirely from the 
garrison and town the necessary supplies of food and fuel during the 
winter ; but to do this well, (the enemy's works being very extensive 
and offering many avenues to the neighboring settlements,) will 
require a large army ; and from present appearances mine will not, 
when brought together, much, if at all, exceed eight hundred com- 
batants. Of Canadians I might be able to get a considerable number, 
provided I had hard money with which to clothe and feed them, and 



ATTACK ON QUEBEC. 



83 




pay their wages : but this is wanting. Unless, therefore, I am soon 
and amply reinforced, investment, like siege, must be given up. 

the storming plan, there 
are fewerobjections; and 
to this we must come at 
i , last. If my force be small, 
|H Carleton's is not great. 
Wj\ The extensiveness of his 
I works, which in case of 
JJjT investment, would favor 
9K him, will in the other 
\~JSP^e> case favor us. Masters 
" of our secret, we may 
select a particular time 
Hi 3 and place for attack, and 
to repel this, the garrison 
must be prepared at all 
times and places ; a cir- 
cumstance which will im- 
pose upon it incessant watching, and labor by day and by night, 
which, in its undisciplined state, must breed discontents that may 
compel Carleton to capitulate, or perhaps to make an attempt to 
drive us off. In this last idea there is a glimmering of hope. "Wolfe's 
success was a lucky hit, or rather a series of such hits. All sober 
and scientific calculation was against him until Montcalm, permitting 
his courage to get the better of his discretion, gave up the advantages 
of his fortress and came out to try his strength on the plain. Carle- 
ton, who was Wolfe's quartermaster-general, understands this well, 
and it is to be feared, will not follow the Frenchman's example. In 
all these views you will discover much uncertainty ; but of one thing 
you may be sure, that unless we do something before the middle of 
April, the game will be up ; because, by that time the river may open 
and let in supplies and reinforcements to the garrison, in spite of 
anything we can do to prevent it ; and again, because my troops are 
not engaged beyond that term, and will not be prevailed upon to stay 
a day longer. In reviewing what I have said, you will find that my 
list of wants is a long one ; men, money, artillery, and clothing accom- 
modated to the climate. Of ammunition, Carleton took care to leave 
little behind him at this place. What I wish and expect, is, that all 
this be made known to Congress, with a full assurance that if I fail 
to execute their wishes or commands, it will not be from any negli- 
gence of duty or infirmity of purpose on my part." 

On the 19th of November, the division of Oeneral Arnold crossed 



84 



M O N T G M E H Y. 



the St. Lawrence, and was joined by Montgomery, December 4th. 
The American commander now sent in a summons to Genera] Carle- 
ton, in which every argument that could affect his fear or humanity 
was used to induce him to surrender. The flag was fired, upon and 
returned. The Americans afterwards conveyed the summons to the 
garrison, but Carleton remained firm in his purpose to resist. Mont- 
gomery then opened five small mortars upon the lower part of the 
city, but with little effect ; and the same result attended the use of 
a six gun battery. Anxious to wipe away the disgraceful impression 
which these petty attacks were making, both upon the Canadians 
and his own soldiers, he summoned a council, and submitted to them 
the following questions : " Shall we attempt the reduction of Quebec 
by a night attack ? If so, shall the lower town be the point attacked ?" 
These questions were decided affirmatively. 

This resolution may be aptly styled a law of necessity, for success 
was barely possible. He was led to it, not only from the impatience 
of his own troops, but in order to meet the expectations of the colo- 
nies, who looked to him for the capture of the capital, and speedy 
reduction of the province. They understood, however, little of 
Montgomery's difficulties. The ' upper town' was strongly fortified, 
and separated from the remaining portion by steep heights, which 
rendered passage from one to the other almost impossible. The 
garrison consisted of about two hundred and seventy marines and 
regulars, eight hundred militia, and four hundred and fifty seamen. 

The siege had been carried on for some time without any effect, 
when Montgomery determined upon an assault. The morning was 
ushered in by a fall of snow. The general divided his little force 
into four detachments. Colonel Livingston, at the head of the 
Canadians, was directed to make a feint against St. John's gate ; and 
Major Brown another, against Cape Diamond, in the upper town ; 
while the commander and Arnold were to advance against the lower 
town, — the first object of real attack. Montgomery led the first 
division, by the river road, which was so obstructed by snow and 
masses of ice, as to render his progress very difficult. The first 
barrier was rapidly carried, and the troops after a moment's pause 
pushed orf toward the second. He assisted with his own hands in 
pulling up some pickets which hindered the march. Near this place 
a barrier had been made across the road, and from the windows of a 
low house, which formed part of it, were planted two cannon. At his 
appearing upon a little rising ground at the distance of about twenty 
or thirty yards, the guns were discharged, and the general with his 
two aid-de-camps fell dead. The division immediately retreated, as 
did that of Arnold, upon hearing of the fall of their commander. 



HIS DEATH. 




Doatlx of Montgomery. 



When the corpse of Montgomery was shown to Carleton, the heart 
of that noble officer melted. They had served in the same regiment 
under Wolfe, and the most friendly relation, existed between them, 
throughout the whole of the French war. The Lieutenant-Governor 
of Quebec, Mr. Cramche, ordered him a coffin, and friends and ene- 
mies united in expressions of sorrow, as his remains were conducted 
to their final resting place. 

At his de^th, General Montgomery was in the first month of his 
thirty-ninth year. He was a man of great military talents, whose 
measures were taken with judgment and executed with vigor. He 
shared all the hardships of his troops, and though they had been un- 
used to discipline, and many of them were jealous of their commander, 
he prevented their complaints by timely measures, and inspired them 
with his own enthusiasm. His industry could not be wearied, his 
vigilance imposed upon, nor his courage intimidated. Above the 
pride of opinion, when a measure was adopted by the majority, he 
gave it his full support, even though contrary to his own judgment. 

The following remarks on the character of General Montgomery 
are extracted from Ramsay's History of the American Revolution. 

' Few men have ever fallen in battle so much regretted on both 
sides as General Montgomery. His many amiable qualities had pro- 
cured him an uncommon share of private affection ; and his great 
abilities an equal proportion of public esteem. Being a sincere lover 



86 



MONTGOMERY. 



of liberty, he had engaged in the American cause from principle, and 
quitted the enjoyment of an easy fortune, and the highest domestic 
felicity, to take an active share in the fatigues and dangers of a war 
instituted for the defence of the community of which he was an 
adopted member. His well known character was almost equally 
esteemed by the friends and foes of the side which he had espoused. 
In America he was celebrated as a martyr to the liberties of mankind ; 
in Great Britain, as a misguided good man, sacrificing to what he 
supposed to be the rights of his country. His name was mentioned 
in Parliament with singular respect. Some of the most powerful 
speakers in that assembly displayed their eloquence in sounding his 
praise and lamenting his fate. Those in particular who had been his 
fellow soldiers in the previous war, expatiated on his many virtues. 
The minister himself acknowledged his worth, while he reprobated 
the cause for which he fell. He concluded an involuntary panegyric 
by saying, ' Curse on his virtues, they have undone his country.'" 

" In this brief story of a short and useful life," says Mr. Arm- 
strong, in his memoir of Montgomery, "we find all the elements 
which enter into the composition of a great man and distinguished 
soldier ; ' a happy physical organization, combining strength and 
activity, and enabling its possessor to encounter laborious clays and 
sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, all changes of weather, and every 
variation of climate.' To these corporeal advantages was added a 
mind, cool, discriminating, energetic, and fearless ; thoroughly ac- 
quainted with mankind, not uninstructed in the literature and sciences 
of the day, and habitually directed by a high and unchangeable moral 
sense. That a man so constituted, should have won 'the golden 
opinions' of friends and foes, is not extraordinary. The most elo- 
quent men of the British Senate became his panegyrists; and the 
American Congress hastened to testify for him, ' their grateful 
remembrance, profound respect, and high veneration.' A monument 
to his memory was accordingly erected, on which might justly be 
inscribed the impressive lines of the post : 



' Brief, brave, and glorious was his young career; 
His mourners were two hosts, his friends and foes; 
And fitly may the stranger, lingering here, 
Pray for his gallant spirit's bright repose ; 
For he was Freedom's champion, one of those, 
The few in number, who had not o'erstept 
The charter to chastise, which she bestows 
On such as wield her weapons ; he had kept 
The whiteness of his soul, and thus men o'er him wept.' 

The monument, above referred to, which is of white marble, was 



HIS MONUMENT. 



87 



placed in front of St. Paul's church. New York. It bears the follow- 
ing inscription : 

THIS MONUMENT 

WAS ERECTED 

By order of Congress, 25th January, 1776, 

TO TRANSMIT TO POSTEHITT 

A GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE • 

OF THE 
PATRIOTISM, CONDUCT, ENTERPRIZE AND PERSEVERANCE 

OF 

MAJOR GENERAL RICHARD MONTGOMERY, 

WHO AFTER A SERIES OF SUCCESS 

AMIDST THE MOST DISCOURAGING DIFFICULTIES, 

FELL IN THE ATTACK ON QUEBEC, 

31st December, 1775. Aged 38 years. 

The remains of General Montgomery, after resting forty-two 
years at Quebec, were, by a resolution of the New York legislature, 
brought to the city of New York, on the 8th of July, 1818, and 
deposited with dignified solemnity, near the monument. 




Montgomery's Monument. 



t 




MAJOR GENERAL STEUBEN. 




ERVICES such as 
those of the Baron 
Steuben, during our 
struggle with Great 
Britain, are justly 
considered as among 
the very highest that 
could be rendered by 
any officer in that 
^ ri trying period. In this 

— ^^*>3^?' P ^Sll — """ ^^•^P' _— j=i. ^A\ light they were re- 
garded by Washington ; and their best eulogy is a comparison of the 
condition of the American army at the close of the war, with what 
it had been at its commencement. 

Frederic William Augustus, Baron de Steuben, was born in Ger 
many, about the year 1730 or '33. The history of his youth is 
unknown. He served with Frederic the Great in the seven years 
war, possessed the entire confidence of that monarch, and became 
his aid-de-camp, and lieutenant-general in the Prussian army. This 
fact is sufficient to establish his military character, and knowledge 
of tactics ; and he was ever regarded by the Prussian government 
as one of their most able officers. After the close of the war, he 

88 



HIS ARRIVAL IN AMERICA. 



89 



filled various offices in Germany, principally under the smaller princes, 
and was tendered a command in the army of Austria, which he 
refused. At the commencement of the war between Great Britain 
and her colonies, he was in a condition of gentlemanly affluence. 

In 1777, while on a visit to England, he stopped at Paris for the 
purpose of having an interview with the Count St. Germain, the 
French minister of war, and one of his intimate friends. Soon after 
he was waited on by Colonel Pagenstecher, on behalf of the Count, 
who informed him that the latter desired a personal interview at the 
Paris arsenal, on matters of importance. It is well known, that 
France was then secretly aiding the Americans both by advice and 
military stores ; and it was with a view of enlisting the Baron in the 
cause of freedom, that the proposed interview was sought. At the 
meeting, St. Germain represented the ultimate prospects of the colo- 
nists as flattering ; that France, and probably Spain, would eventu- 
ally aid them ; but that their army needed disciplinarians, vhich 
want the Baron could well supply. These proposals were seconded 
by the Spanish consul and two French noblemen ; but the Baron 
refused to give a decisive answer, until an interview could be obtained 
with the American envoys. The latter were unable to give the 
assurances required, and after abandoning his intention of visiting 
England, Steuben soon after returned to Germany. On his arrival 
at Rastadt he found letters from the Count, informing him that a 
vessel was about sailing for America, in which he could immediately 
embark, with a prospect of having every difficulty satisfactorily 
adjusted. Having received from Dr. Franklin, letters of recommen- 
dation to General Washington and the President of Congress, he 
embarked on the 26th of September, 1777, under an assumed name, 
and after a rough voyage landed at Portsmouth, N. H., December. 1st. 

His first care was to address his recommendations to General 
Washington, at the same time requesting admission into the service. 
The close of his letter is worthy of preservation. " I could say 
moreover, were it not for the fear of offending your modesty, that 
your excellency is the only person under whom, after having served 
under the king of Prussia, I could wish to pursue an art to which I 
have wholly given up myself." Washington referred him to Con- 
gress, as the only body empowered to accept his services, and accord- 
ingly, in February, he laid his papers before that body. A committee 
of five was appointed to wait upon him. In his interview with them, 
the Baron stated what he had left to engage in the American ser- 
vice, offered them his services without any other remuneration than 
the amount of expenses ; but, that while he expected no reward 
should the final result be unsuccessful, yet in case of the Americans 



4 



90 



STEUBEN. 




American Army at Valley Forge. 

gaining their independence, he would expect an indemnity for the 
offices he had resigned in Europe, and a reward proportionate to his 
services. Congress returned him thanks for this disinterested offer, 
and requested him to join the army. 

The American main body was at that time wintered near Valley 
Forge. The sufferings endured by the troops, their privations and 
diseases during that terrible winter, were long remembered as forming 
the darkest page of our revolutionary history. At sight of them, the 
astonishment of one who had been accustomed to the well provided 
armies of Europe, may be conceived ; and Steuben declared that 
under such circumstances no foreign army could be kept together a 
single month. He was appointed inspector-general, and entrusted with 
the difficult task of forming from such materials an army disciplined 
after the European system. Disheartening as were these prospects, 
and heightened, too, by Steuben's ignorance of the English language, 
he entered upon his duties with ardor. An interpreter was found, 
and the great work of giving efficiency to the army of Washington 
commenced. This was something new to the sufferers of Valley 
Forge ; and the strictness of the old soldier, together with his 
perfect familiarity with the most difficult military movements, 
astonished even the commander himself. " The troops," says Dr. 
Thacher, " were paraded in a single line, with shouldered arms, 
every officer in his particular station. The Baron first reviewed the 
line in this position, passing in front with a scrutinizing eye, after 
which he took into his hand the musket and accoutrements of every 
soldier, examining them with particular accuracy and precision, 
applauding or condemning according to the condition in which he 
found them. He required that the musket and bayonet should exhibit 
the brightest polish : not a spot of rust or defect in any part could 
elude his vigilance. He inquired also into the conduct of the officers 



V 



APPOINTED INSPECTOR-GENERAL. 



91 




Baron Steuben drilling the American Soldiers. 

toward their men, censuring every fault and applauding every meri- 
torious action. Next, he required of me, as surgeon, a list of the sick, 
with a particular statement of their accommodations and mode of 
treatment, and even visited some of the sick in their cabins." 

The great services rendered by the Baron, as exhibited in the rapid 
improvement of the army, did not escape the notice of either Wash- 
ington or Congress ; and at the recommendation of the former, he 
was appointed permanent inspector-general, with the rank of major- 
general. By his great exertions he made this office respectable, 
establishing frugality and economy among the soldiers. In discipline, 
both of men and officers, he was entirely impartial, and never omitted 
an opportunity to praise merit or censure a fault. Washington 
speaks of him in the following manner. " Justice concurring with 
inclination, constrain me to testify that the Baron has in every in- 
stance discharged the several trusts reposed in him, with great zeal 
and ability, so as to give him the fullest title to my esteem as a 
brave, indefatigable, judicious and experienced officer." 

America was soon to witness the effects of the new discipline upon 
the very army that had twice defeated hers. In June, 1778, the 
British army evacuated Philadelphia, and marched hastily for New 
York. They were led to this step through fear that a French fleet 
might block up the Delaware, while Washington attacked them by 
land, and thus they be forced to surrender. Washington pursued 
them, and ardently desired to give battle. Steuben's opinion coin- 
cided with the commander's, and on the morning of the 28th a 



I 



92 STEUBEN. 

detachment under General Lee advanced against the enemy, and 
commenced the battle of Monmouth. In the retreat and subsequent 
rally of the advance, the value of discipline was triumphantly dis- 
played. The retiring troops were formed by Washington in the very 
face of the enemy, turned upon their pursuers, and regained the lost 
ground. Such a movement is justly considered the triumph of dis- 
cipline ; and the battle of Monmouth is one of the most remarkable 
of the w r ar, not only as exhibiting the great talents of General Wash- 
ington, but as a proof of the former invaluable though silent labors 
of the Baron Steuben. 

"^V^is?" , OON after this affair, the Baron was ordered 
^^v to Rhode Island, to assist in the operations 

m 



^\W{\ °^ General Sullivan. He arrived too late, 
?^>i j ! m however, to be of essential service. In 




the latter part of 1778, he was employed to digest 
a system of Prussian tactics, modified and adapted 
to the American service. This was a work of no 
little difficulty, having to be written from memory, 
in the absence of any similar work which might serve as a guide, and 
in the French language. It received, however, the cordial approval 
of Washington, and was immediately adopted by resolution of Con- 
gress, as the standard of military discipline. 

When the first French fleet arrived in America, in 1780, sanguine 
hopes were entertained that the war was about to be speedily closed. 
Steuben had formerly presented to Congress a plan for the campaign, 
which was approved by Washington, and which promised to be emi- 
nently useful ; but the arrival of a British naval force, and the 
unfortunate occurrences at Newport, frustrated these expectations, 
and rendered much of the Baron's plan useless. 

Steuben was one of the court martial appointed to try Major Andre. 
It was a wise precaution to place such men as Steuben and Lafayette 
on this delicate duty, as both were foreigners, and the Baron, at least, 
knew well the customs of war in such instances. He fully concurred 
in the sentence of the court. 

After the defeat of the southern army at Camden, Steuben was 
appointed president of the court martial for the trial of Gates ; but 
the court never met, and he was thus relieved from an unpleasant duty. 
When Greene took command in that quarter, the Baron accompanied 
him in order to establish a system of discipline among the raw recruits. 
Greene determined to push for the Carolinas, but knowing the neces- 
sity of keeping some force in Virginia, in order to raise troops, he 
entrusted that care to Steuben, with full discretionary power to call 
on the authorities of the state, and, if possible, to attack the British 



i 



INVASION OF VIRGINIA. 



93 




Arnold's Descent on Virginia. 

under General Leslie. As soon as troops were raised they were to 
be ordered to Greene's army in the south. This office was one of 
difficulty, and no little delicacy. Virginia was jealous of her rights, 
and fearful of an invasion from the Chesapeake ; so that the utmost 
efforts of the Baron, aided by those of Governor Jefferson, failed to 
answer fully the expectations of General Greene. Troops enlisted 
but slowly, and frequently only one half of those appointed to be 
raised by a certain time could be mustered. 

v In January, 1781, Arnold invaded Virginia. The command of the 
militia destined to oppose him devolved upon Steuben ; but so insig- 
nificant was their number, and so greatly did they need the necessa- 
ries of an army, that the Baron found it impossible to act in any other 
way but as a mere partisan. When the British reached Richmond, 
he received a note from Arnold, offering not to burn that town if the 
ships should be allowed to carry off some stores of tobacco unmolested. 
This proposition the Baron rejected, and the public buildings and a 
variety of stores were consigned to the flames. Arnold, then, slowly 
retreated. Steuben pursued him with a small force, taking every 
opportunity to harass his detached parties and cut off his rear. Jef- 
ferson speaks thus of his services : " His vigilance has, in a great 
measure, supplied the want of force, in preventing the enemy from 
crossing the river, [James,] the consequences of which might have 
been very fatal. He has been assiduously employed in preparing 
equipments for the militia as they assembled, pointing them to a 
proper object, and in other offices of a good commander." 

After doing all the mischief in his power, and rendering his name 



94 



STEUBEN. 



still more detestable to the Americans than it had formerly been, 
Arnold established himself at Portsmouth, which he proceeded to 
fortify. At this place a plan was matured between Jefferson and 
Steuben, to surprise him, and convey him to the American lines. A 
party of young men was organized for that purpose ; but the scheme 
was frustrated by the extraordinary precautions used by General 
Arnold respecting the security of his person. 

Meanwhile Baron Steuben was involved in difficulties of another 
kind. J I is ardor in raising and equipping troops was not seconded 
by the authorities of Virginia; and when plans which had cost him 
much time and trouble to mature were executed tardily, or entirely 
rejected, his patience was severely tried. On such occasions he 
frequently became involved with public officers in groundless dis- 
putes and ill feeling. The Baron was soothed, however, by letters 
from Greene and Washington, each of whom knew how to appreciate 
his services. 

While mailers were in this condition, tin' appearance of a small 
French force in the Chesapeake again inspired the hope of Arnold's 
capture ; but the wily general moved to a shallow place up the river, 
and Steuben was again disappointed. Soon after, the whole French 
squadron reached the bay and landed eleven hundred men. The raw 
militia were incapable of acting with this force ; but aware of the 
importance of co-operating with it, Washington detached Lafayette 
from the main army with twelve hundred continental troops. The 
Marquis was appoint cd commander of all the forces in Virginia, but 
fearful of wounding the feelings of Steuben, he took command only 
in the field. 

Lafayette reached the Elk river on the 3d of March, and wrote to 
• Baron Steuben to ((inline 1he British by the militia, until opportunity 
should be afforded for a decisive blow. About the middle of March, 
the English fleet under Arbuthnot, met that of Admiral Dctouches, 
and an indecisive engagement look place, which induced the French 
commander to return to Newport. This gave the British a decided 
superiority, and obliged Lafayette to return northward. A few days 
after, General Phillips reached Portsmouth with two thousand British 
troops, excellently equipped, and in a high state of discipline. As 
this force placed the state in imminent danger, Lafayette marched 
back with his troops, and assumed the command. 

>n the 18th of April, Phillips sailed up the James river, with 
twenty-five hundred men, to attack Petersburg. Baron Steuben was 
at this place with but about one thousand militia. Notwithstanding 
this disparity of numbers, the American general marched against 
them, and in an engagement which ensued, held their whole force at 



J 



SIEGE OF YORKTOWN. 



95 




bay for more than two hours. He even succeeded in throwing their 
ranks into confusion, but at length retreated to a position on the 
river. An immense amount of goods was burned by the British, 
while some public vessels, and a great deal of private property, were 
destroyed in various ways. 

N the 20th of May, Lord Convwallis united his 
southern army with General Arnold at Petersburg. 
The latter officer had succeeded to the command 
in Virginia, at the death of Phillips. Previous to 
this, Steuben had found his situation so irksome, 
that he had asked and obtained leave to join 
Greene in South Carolina ; but he was prevented 
from doing so by the new invasion of Cornwallis. 
He therefore established himself with six hundred men at the state 
arsenal, near the source of James river. 

Having ascertained the Baron's position, Convwallis detached 
Colonel Simcoe against him with five hundred regulars, who were to 
be joined in their march by Tarleton with two hundred and fifty 
horse. Steuben had no means of ascertaining his opponent's strength, 
and when the latter displayed an extended front, and built a large 
number of fires at night, he was led to believe that the whole force of 
Cornwallis had arrived. The Americans retreated, and Simcoe, after 
destroying the stores at the state arsenal, returned to Petersburg. 

On the 16th of June, Steuben joined Lafayette, who had been 
previously reinforced by the Pennsylvania troops under General 
Wayne. On the 16th of July, the Marquis met Cornwallis near 
Jamestown, and a slight engagement took place, in which the Ameri- 
cans behaved remarkably well, notwithstanding their great inferiority 
of numbers. The enemy gained some advantage, but did not pursue 
it ; and soon after the Earl marched to Yorktown, which he began 
to fortify. 

On the 28th of September, the main allied army of the French 
and Americans, under Rochambeau and Washington, aided by the 
fleet of de Grasse, sat down before this place. The siege lasted until 
the 18th of October, during which time Steuben bore his full share 
of toil and danger. His exact, scientific knowledge rendered him 
extremely useful, and to atone in some measure for his former vexa- 
tions, Washington assigned him a command in the line. His services 
are honorably noticed by that great man, in the general orders subse- 
quent to the capitulation. 

After this happy affair, the Baron returned with the main army to 
the middle states, where he remained until the treaty of peace. In 
1782 he informed Washington of the arrival of one of his former 



96 



STEUBEN. 




Count de Grasse. 

acquaintances, the Count Benyowzky or Bieniewsky, whom he 
introduced to the commander. He was a Prussian nobleman, allied 
hy blood to the renowned Pulaski, and had experienced most roman- 
tic changes of fortune. He offered to hire on certain conditions, a 
body of German troops, to be employed in the American army as a 
distinct legion, and each officer and soldier at the close of the war 
was to receive a tract of the public land. His plan was approved by 
Washington, after some alteration, and favorably reported by Con- 
gress ; but the approach of peace prevented its adoption. 

Baron Steuben was appointed to receive the surrender of the posts 
on the Canada frontier, but the incivility of the British general 
caused much contention, and Steuben returned to New York. 

On the day that Washington resigned his office as commander-in- 
chief, he wrote to the Baron the following noble and affectionate 
letter : 

" Although I have taken frequent opportunities, in public and pri 
vate, of acknowledging your great zeal, attention and abilities, in 
performing the duties of your office, yet I wish to make use of this 
last moment of my public life, to signify in the strongest terms, my 
entire approbation of your conduct, and to express my sense of the 



HIS DEATH. 



97 



obligations the public is under to you for your faithful and merito- 
rious services. 

" I beg you will be convinced, my dear sir, that I should rejoice, 
if it could ever be in my power, to serve you more essentially than 
by expressions of regard and affection ; but, in the mean time, I am 
jjersuaded you will not. be displeased with this farewell token of my 
sincere friendship and esteem for you. 

" This is the last letter I shall write while I continue in the ser- 
vice of my country. The hour of my resignation is fixed at twelve 
to-day ; after which I shall become a private citizen on the banks of 
the Potomac, where I shall be glad to embrace you, and testify the 
great esteem and consideration with which 

" I am, my dear Baron, &c." 

The neglect with which many of the brave men who had bled in 
our cause were treated by Congress, will ever remain as a stigma 
upon that body. Among these was Steuben ; for seven years he 
made ineffectual efforts to obtain a notice of his claims, but in vain. 
He had left affluence and baronial dignity among the monarchs of 
Europe, to waste his life in our struggle, and now, when the great 
object had been reached, he was poor, homeless, and unprovided for. 

At last, through the strenuous exertions of Washington and 
Hamilton, Congress were induced to acknowledge his claims. In 
1790, they granted him an annual sum of twenty-five hundred dol- 
lars. Other grants, principally of land, had already been made by 
Virginia and New Jersey, and on the 5th of May, 1786, the New 
York Assembly voted him sixteen thousand acres. Determining not 
to revisit Europe, he built a log house on his land, rented a large 
portion of it to tenants, and, with a few domestics, lived there until 
his death, excepting during an annual visit to New York city in the 
winter. His time was spent in reading, gardening, and in cheerful 
conversations with his faithful aids Walker and North, who re- 
mained with him until death. Occasionally he amused himself by 
playing chess and hunting. 

On the 25th of November, 1794, he was struck by paralysis, and 
on the 28th, his long and active life closed. He died in full belief 
of the truths of Christianity, which for some time had been his con- 
solation and support. 

His body was buried in his military cloak, to which was attached 
the star of knighthood, always worn during life. His servants and 
a few neighbours buried him. His grave was in a deep forest, which 
being afterwards crossed by a road, occasioned its reinterment on a 
spot about a quarter of a mile north of his house. Walker performed 

7 



98 



STEUBEN. 



this duty, and afterwards placed an iron railing round the grave. A 
stone, with the inscription, Major-General Frederic William 
Augustus, Baron de Steuben, marks the hero's resting place. A 
tablet in memory of him was placed in the Lutheran church, Nassau 
street, New York, where he always attended when in that city. 
This was done by his aid, Colonel North, who graced it with the 
following inscription : — 



SACRED TO THE MEMORY 

OF 

FREDERIC WILLIAM AUGUSTUS, BARON STEUBEN, 

A GERMAN KNIGHT OF THE linni.n OF FIDELITY, 

AID-DE-CAMP TO FIlEDEniC THE GREAT, KING OF PRUSSIA, 

MAJOR GENERAL AND INSPECTOR GENERAL 

IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 

ESTEEMED, RESPECTED, AND SUPPORTED BY WASHINGTON, 

HE GAVE MILITARY SKILL AND DISCIPLINE, 

TO THE CITIZEN SOLDIERS, WHO, 

(FT7LFTI.I,INO TOE DECREES OF HEAVEN,) 

ACHIEVED THE INDEPENDENCE OF THE UNITED STATES. 

THE HIGHLY rOLISRETI MANNERS OF THE BARON 

WERE GRACED BY THE MOST NOBLE FEELINGS OF THE HEART J 

HIS HAND OPEN AS DAY TO MELTING CHARITY, 

CLOSED ONLY IN THE GRASP OF DEATH. 

THIS MEMORIAL IS INSCRIBED BY AN AMERICAN, 

WHO HAD THE HONOR TO BE HIS AID-DE-CAMP, 

THE HAPPINESS TO BE HIS FRIEND, 

1795. 

By his will, the Baron left his library and one thousand dollars to 
a young man of literary habits, named Mulligan, whom he had 
adopted, and nearly all the remainder of his property to North and 
Walker. What a proof of his firmness as a friend, and his gratitude 
for even the smallest favors. 




Grave of Baron Steuben. 



I I 




GENERAL GATES. 




HIS distinguished officer of the Revolution, was a 
native of England, and was born in the year 1728. 
He was educated to the military profession, and 
entered the British army at an early age, in the 
capacity of lieutenant, where he laid the founda- 
tion of his future military excellence. Without 
purchase he obtained the rank of Major. He was 
aid to General Monckton, at; the capture of Marlinico, and after 
the peace of Aix la Chapelle he was among the first troops which 
landed at Halifax under General Cornwallis. He was an officer in 
the army which accompanied the unfortunate Braddock, in the expe- 
dition against Fort du Quesne, in the year 1755, and was shot 
through the body. 

When peace was concluded, he purchased an estate in Virginia, 
where he resided until the commencement of the American war, in 
1775. Having evinced his zeal and attachment to the violated rights 

99 



100 



GATES. 



of his adopted country, and sustaining a high military reputation, he 
was appointed by Congress adjutant-general, with the rank of briga- 
dier, and he accompanied Gen. Washington to the American camp 
at Cambridge, in July, 1775, where he was employed for some time 
in a subordinate, but highly useful capacity. 

In June, 1776, Gates was appointed to the command of the army 
of Canada, and on reaching Ticonderoga he still claimed the com- 
mand of it, though it was no longer in Canada, and was in the 
department of Gen. Schuyler, a senior officer, who had rendered emi- 
nent services in that command. On representation to Congress, it 
was declared not to be their intention to place Gates over Schuyler, 
and it was recommended to these officers to endeavor to co-operate 
harmoniously. Gen. Schuyler was, however, shortly after directed 
by Congress to resume the command of the northern department, 
and General Gates withdrew himself from it ; after which he repaired 
to head-quarters, and joined the army under General Washington, 
in Jersey. 

Owing to the prevalent dissatisfaction with the conduct of General 
Schuyler, in the evacuation of Ticonderoga, Gates was again 
directed to take command. He arrived about the 21st of August, 
and continued the exertions to restore the affairs of the department, 
which had been so much depressed by the losses consequent on the 
evacuation of Ticonderoga. It was fortunate for General Gates, that 
the retreat from Ticonderoga had been conducted under other aus- 
pices than his, and that he took the command when the indefatigable, 
but unrequited labors of Schuyler, and the courage of Stark and his 
mountaineers, had already ensured the ultimate defeat of Burgoyne. 

Burgoyne, after crossing the Hudson, advanced along its side and 
encamped on the height, about two miles from Gates's camp : which 
was three miles above Stillwater. This movement was the subject 
of much discussion. Some charged it on the impetuosity of the 
general, and alleged that it was premature, before he was sure of aid 
from the royal forces posted in New York ; but he pleaded the pe- 
remptory orders of his superiors. The rapid advance of Burgoyne, 
and especially his passage of the North River, added much to the 
impracticability of his future retreat, and made the ruin of his army . 
in a great degree unavoidable. The Americans, elated with their 
successes at Bennington and Fort Schuyler, thought no more of 
retreating, but came out to meet the advancing British, and engaged 
them with firmness and resolution. 

The attack began a little before mid-day, September 19th, be- 
tween the scouting parties of the two armies. The commanders of 
both sides supported and reinforced their respective parties. The 



BATTLE OF STILLWATER. 



101 




&4gi^| I gf '<}' : '0?$Mt- 



■&\; : J&jm 



wpf ^t^**^^ 



^>« : >^t^^-' 




- fa WK^| 

Burgoyne'e Encampment on the Hudson. 

conflict, though severe, was only partial for an hour and a half; hut, 
after a short pause, it became general, and continued for three hours 
without any intermission. A constant blaze of fire was kept up, and 
both armies seemed determined on death or victory. The Americans 
and British alternately drove, and were driven by each other. The 
British artillery fell into our possession at every charge, but we could 
neither turn the pieces upon the enemy nor bring them off, so sudden 
were the alternate advantages. It was a gallant conflict, in which 
death, by familiarity, lost his terrors ; and such was the order of the 
Americans, that, as General Wilkinson states, the wounded men, 
after having their wounds dressed, in many instances returned again 
into the battle. Men, and particularly officers, dropped every moment, 
and on every side. Several of the Americans placed themselves on 
high trees, and, as often as they could distinguish an officer's uni- 
form, took him off by deliberately aiming at his person. Few actions 
have been characterized by more obstinacy in attack or defence. The 
British repeatedly tried their bayonets, but without their usual suc- 
cess in the use of that weapon. 

The British lost upwards of 500 men, including their killed, 
wounded, and prisoners. The Americans, inclusive of the missing, 
lost 319. Thirty-six out of forty-eight British artillerists were killed 




102 GATES. 

or wounded. The 62d British regiment, which was 500 strong when 
it left Canada, was reduced to sixty men and four or five officers. In 
this engagement General Gates, assisted by Generals Lincoln and 
Arnold, commanded the American army ; and General Bnrgoyne 
was at the head of his army, and Generals Philips, Reidesel, and 
Frazer, with their respective commands, were actively engaged. 

HIS battle was fought by the general concert and zealous 
co-operation of the corps engaged, and was sustained 
more by individual courage than military discipline. 
General Arnold, who afterwards traitorously deserted 
his country, behaved with the most undaunted courage, 
leading on the troops and encouraging them by his personal efforts 
and daring exposure. The gallant Colonel Morgan obtained immor- 
tal honor on this day. Lieutenant-Colonel Brooks, with the eighth 
Massachusetts regiment remained in the field till about eleven o'clock, 
and was the last who retired. Major Hull commanded a detach- 
ment of three hundred men, who fought with such signal ardor, 
that more than one half of them were killed. The whole number of 
Americans engaged in this action, was about two thousand five hun- 
dred ; the remainder of the army from its unfavorable situation, took 
little or no part in the action. 

Each army claimed the victory, and each believed himself to have 
beaten, with only part of its force, nearly the whole of the enemy. 
The advantage however was decidedly in favor of the Americans. In 
every quarter they had been the assailants, and after an encounter 
of several hours they had not lost a single inch of ground. 

General Gates, whose numbers increased daily, remained on his 
old ground. His right, which extended to the river, had been ren- 
dered unassailable, and he used great industry to strengthen his left. 
Both armies retained their position until the 7th of October ; Bur- 
goyne, in the hope of being relieved by Sir Henry Clinton : and 
Gates in the confidence of growing stronger every day, and of ren- 
dering the destruction of his enemy more certain. But receiving no 
further intelligence from Sir Henry, the British general determined 
to make one more trial of strength with his adversary. The follow- 
ing account of the brilliant affair of the 7th of October, 1777, is 
given in Thacher's Military Journal. 

" I am fortunate enough to obtain from our officers a particular 
account of the glorious event of the 7th inst. The advanced parties 
of the two armies came into contact, about three o'clock on Tuesday 
afternoon, and immediately displayed their hostile attitude. The 
Americans soon approached the royal army, and each party in defi- 
ance awaited the deadly blow. The gallant Colonel Morgan, at the 



BATTLE OF BEMIS S HEIGHTS. 103 

head of his famous rifle corps, and Major Dearborn, leading a detach- 
ment of infantry, commenced the action, and rushed courageously 
on the British grenadiers, commanded by Major Ackland ; and the 
furious attack was firmly resisted. In all parts of the field, the con- 
flict became extremely arduous and obstinate ; an unconquerable 
spirit on each side disdaining to yield the palm of victory. — Death 
appeared to have lost his terrors ; breaches in the ranks were no 
sooner made than supplied by fresh combatants, awaiting a similar 
fate. At length the Americans press forward with renewed strength 
and ardor, and compel the whole British line, commanded by Bur- 
goyne himself, to yield to their deadly fire, and they retreat in dis- 
order. The German troops remain firmly posted at their lines ; these 
were now boldly assaulted by Brigadier-Ger.eral Learned, and Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Brooks, at the head of their respective commands, 
with such intrepidity, that the works were carried, and their brave 
commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Breyman, was slain. The Germans 
were pursued to their encampment, which, with all the equipage of 
the brigade, fell into our hands. Colonel Cilley, of General Poor's 
brigade, having acquitted himself honorably, was seen astride on a 
brass field-piece, exulting in the capture. Major Hull of the Massa- 
chusetts line was among those who so bravely stormed the enemy's 
intrenchment, and acted a conspicuous part. General Arnold, in 
consequence of a serious misunderstanding with General Gates, was 
not vested with any command, by which he was exceedingly chagrined 
and irritated. He entered the field, however, and his conduct was 
marked with intemperate rashness ; flourishing his sword and anima- 
ting the troops, he struck an officer on the head without cause, and 
gave him a considerable wound. He exposed himself to every danger, 
and with a small party of riflemen, rushed into the rear of the enemy, 
where he received a ball which fractured his leg, and his horse was 
killed under him. Nightfall put a stop to our brilliant career, though 
the victory was most decisive, and it is with pride and exultation 
that we recount the triumph of American bravery. Besides Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Breyman slain, General Frazer, one of the most 
valuable officers in the British service, was mortally wounded, and 
survived but a few hours. Frazer was the soul of the British army, 
and was just changing the disposition of a part of the troops to repel 
a strong impression which the Americans had made, and were still 
making, on the British riirht, when Morgan called together two 
or three of his best marksmen, and pointing to Frazer said, ' Do 
you see that gallant officer ? that is General Frazer, — I respect and 
honor him ; but it is necessary he should die.' This was enough. 
Frazer immediately received his mortal wound, and was carried off 

9 



104 



GATES. 



the field. Sir Francis Clark, aid-de-camp to General Burgoyne, was 
brought into our camp with a mortal wound, and Major Ackland, 
who commanded the British grenadiers, was wounded through both 
legs, and is our prisoner. Several other officers, and about two hun- 
dred privates, are prisoners in our hands, with nine pieces of cannon, 
and a considerable supply of ammunition, which was much wanted for 
our troops. The loss on our side is supposed not to exceed thirty 
killed, and one hundred wounded, in obtaining this signal victory." 

The position of the British army, after the action of the 7th, was 
so dangerous, that an immediate and total change of position became 
necessary, and Burgoyne took immediate measures to regain his 
former camp at Saratoga. There he arrived, with little molestation 
from his adversary. His provisions being now reduced to the supply 
of a few days, the transports of artillery and baggage towards Canada 
being rendered impracticable by the judicious measures of his adver- 
sary, the British general resolved upon a rapid retreat, merely with 
what the soldiers could carry. On examination, however, it was 
found that they were deprived even of this resource, as the passes 
through which their route lay, were so strongly guarded, that nothing 
but artillery could clear them. In this desperate situation a parley 
took place, and on the 16th of October, the whole army surrendered 
to General Gates. 

The prize obtained consisted of more than five thousand prisoners, 
forty-two pieces of brass ordnance, seven thousand muskets, clothing 
for seven thousand men, with a great quantity of tents, and other 
military stores. 

Soon after the convention was signed, the Americans marched into 
their lines, and were kept there until the royal army had deposited 
their arms at the place appointed. The delicacy with which this 
business was conducted, reflected honor on the American general. 
Nor did the politeness of Gates end here. Every circumstance was 
withheld that could constitute a triumph in the American army. The 
captive general was received by his conqueror with respect and kind- 
ness. A number of the principal officers of both armies met at 
General Gates's quarters, and for a while seemed to forget, in social 
and convivial pleasures, that they had been enemies. 

General Wilkinson gives the following account of the meeting 
between General Burgoyne and General Gates : — 

" General Gates, advised of Burgoyne's approach, met him at the 
head of his camp, Burgoyne in a rich royal uniform, and Gates in a 
plain blue frock. When they had approached nearly within sword's 
length, they reined up and halted. I then named the gentleman, and 
General Burgoyne, raising his hat, most gracefully, said, ' The fortune 



I 



BURGOYNE S SURRENDER. 



105 




Burgoyne'e Surrender. 

of war, General Gates, has made me your prisoner ;' to which the 
conqueror, returning a courtly salute, promptly replied, ' I shall 
always be ready to bear testimony that it has not been through any 
fault of your Excellency.' " 

The thanks of Congress were voted to General Gates and his 
army ; and a medal of gold, in commemoration of this great event, 
was ordered to be struck, to be presented to him by the president, in 
the name of the United States. 

It was not long after that the wonderful discovery was supposed 
to be made, that the illustrious Washington was incompetent to the 
task of conducting the operations of the American army, and that 
General Gates, if elevated to the chief command, would speedily 
meliorate the condition of our affairs. There were those that im- 
puted to General Gates himself, a principal agency in the affair, 
which, however, he promptly disavowed. But certain it is, that a 
private correspondence was maintained between him and the in- 
triguing General Conway, in which the measures pursued by General 



106 



CATES. 




Washington are criticised and repro- 
bated, and in one of Conway's letters, 
he pointedly ascribes our want of success 
to a weak general and bad counsellors. 
General Gates, on finding that Genera] 
Washington had been apprised of the 
correspondence, addressed his Excel- 
lency, requesting that he would disclose 
the name of his informant, and in viola- 
tion of the rules of decorum, he addressed 
the commander-in-chief on a subject of 
extreme delicacy, in an open letter trans- 
mitted to the president of Congress. 
General Washington, however, did not 
hesitate to disclose the name and the 
circumstances which brought the affair 
General Burgoyne. to light. General G ates, then, with inex- 

cusable disingenuousness, attempted to vindicate the conduct of Con- 
way, and to deny that the letter contained the reprehensible expres- 
sions in question, but utterly refused to produce the original letter. 
This subject, however, was so ably and candidly discussed by General 
Washington, as to cover his adversary with shame and humiliation. 
It was thought inexcusable in Gates, that he neglected to communi- 
cate to the commander-in-chief an account of so important an event 
as the capture of the British army at Saratoga, but left his Excel- 
lency to obtain the information by common report. 

Dr. Thacher, in his Military Journal, relates the following anec- 
dote : — " Mr. T , an ensign in our regiment, has, for some 

time, discovered symptoms of mental derangement. — Yesterday he 
intruded himself at General Gates's head-quarters, and after some 
amusing conversation, he put himself in the attitude of devotion, and 
prayed that God would pardon General Gates for endeavoring to 
supersede that god-like man, Washington. The general appeared 
to be much disturbed, and directed Mr. Pierce, his aid-de-camp, to 
take, him away." 

On the 13th of June, 1780, General Gates was appointed to the 
chief command of the southern army. Rich in fame from the fields 
of Saratoga, he hastened to execute the high and important trust ; 
and the arrival of an officer so exalted in reputation, had an imme- 
diate and happy effect on the spirits of the soldiery and the hopes of 
the people. It was anticipated that he who had humbled Great 
Britain on the heights of the Hudson, and liberated New York from 
a formidable invasion, would prove no less successful in the south, 



BATTLE OF CAMDEN. 



107 



and become the deliverer of Carolina and Georgia from lawless 
rapine and military rule. But anticipations were vain, and the best 
founded hopes were blighted ! In the first and only encounter which 
he had with Lord Cornwallis, at Camden, August 15th, he suffered 
a total defeat, and was obliged to fly from the enemy for personal 
safety. 

Proudly calculating on the weight of his name, and too confident 
in his own superiority, he slighted the counsel which he ought to 
have respected, and hurrying impetuously into the field of battle, 
his tide of popularity ebbed as fast at Camden as it had flowed at 
Saratoga. 

It would be great injustice, however, to attribute the misfortune 
altogether to the commander, under his peculiar circumstances. A 
large proportion of his force consisted of raw militia, who were panic 
struck, and fled at the first fire ; — their rout was absolute and irre- 
trievable. In vain did Gates attempt to rally them. That their 
speed might be the greater, they threw away their arms and accoutre- 
ments, and dashed into the woods and swamps for safety. A rout 
more perfectly wild and disorderly, or marked with greater conster- 
nation and dismay, was never witnessed. Honor, manhood, country, 
home, every recollection sacred to the feelings of the soldier, and the 
soul of the brave, was merged in an ignominious love of life. 

But from the moment General Gates assumed the command in the 
south, his former judgment and fortune seemed to forsake him. He 
was anxious to come to action immediately, and to terminate the 
war by a few bold and energetic measures ; and two days after his 
arrival in camp, he began his march to meet the enemy, without 
properly estimating his force. 

The active spirits of the place being roused and encouraged by the 
presence of a considerable army, and daily flocking to the standard 
of their country, General Gates, by a delay of action, had much to 
gain in point of numbers. To the prospects of the enemy, on the con- 
trary, delay would have been ruinous. To them there was no 
alternative but immediate battle and victory, or immediate retreat. 
Such, however, was the nature of the country, and the distance and 
relative position of the two armies, that to compel the Americans to 
action was impossible. The imprudence of the American general in 
hazarding an engagement, at this time, is further manifested by the 
fact, that in troops, on whose firmness he could safely rely, he was 
greatly inferior to his foe, they amounting to sixteen hundred veteran 
and highly disciplined regulars, and he having less than a thousand 
continentals. 

General Gates having retreated to Salisbury, and thence to Hills- 



108 GATES. 

borough, he there succeeded in collecting around him the fragments 
of an army. Being soon after reinforced by several small bodies of 
regulars and militia, he again advanced towards the south, and took 
post in Charlotte. Here he continued in command until the 5th day 
of October, fifty days after his defeat at Camden, when Congress 
passed a resolution requiring the commander-in-chief to order a court 
of inquiry on his conduct, as commander of the southern army, and 
to appoint some other officer to that command. The inquiry resulted 
in his acquittal : and it was the general opinion that he was not 
treated by Congress with that delicacy, or indeed gratitude, that was 
due to an officer of his acknowledged merit. He, however, received 
the order of his supersedure and suspension, and resigned the com- 
mand to General Greene with becoming dignity, as is manifested, 
much to his credit, in the following order : — 

"HEAD-QcAnTEns, Cbaih.otte, 3d December, 1780. J 
Parole, Springfield — countersign, Greene. 5 

" The honorable Major-General Greene, who arrived yesterday 
afternoon in Charlotte, being appointed by his excellency General 
Washington, with the approbation of the honorable Congress, to the 
command of the southern army, all orders will, for the future, issue 
from him, and all reports are to be made to him. 

" General Gates returns his sincere and grateful thanks to the 
southern army for their perseverance, fortitude, and patient endu- 
rance of all the hardships and sufferings they have undergone while 
under his command. He anxiously hopes their misfortunes will cease 
therewith, and that victory, and the glorious advantages of it, may 
be the future portion of the southern army." 

General Greene had already been, and continued to be, the firm 
advocate of the reputation of General Gates, particularly if he heard 
it assailed with asperity ; and still believed and asserted, that if there 
was any mistake in the conduct of Gates, it was in hazarding an 
action at all against such superior force ; and when informed of his 
appointment to supersede him, declared his confidence in his military 
talents, and his willingness " to serve under him." 

General Gates was reinstated in his military command in the main 
army, in 1782 ; but the great scenes of war were now passed, and 
he could only participate in the painful scene of a final separation. 

In the midst of his misfortune, General Gates was called to mourn 
the afflicted dispensation of Providence, in the death of his only son. 
Major Garden, in his excellent publication, has recorded the follow- 
ing affecting anecdote, which he received from Dr. William Reed : — 

" Having occasion to call on General Gates, relative to the busi- 
ness of the department under my immediate charge, I found him 



ANECDOTE. 



109 



traversing the apartment which he occupied, under the influence of 
high excitement ; his agitation was excessive — every feature of his 
countenance, every gesture betrayed it. Official despatches inform- 
ing him that he was superseded, and that the command of the south- 
ern army had been transferred to General Greene, had just been 
received and perused by him. His countenance, however, betrayed 
no expression of irritation or resentment ; it was sensibility alone 
that caused his emotion. An open letter, which he held in his hand, 
was often raised to his lips and kissed with devotion, while the excla- 
mation repeatedly escaped them — ' Great man ! Noble, generous 
procedure !' When the tumult of his mind had subsided, and his 
thoughts found utterance, he, with strong expression of feeling, 
exclaimed : ' I have received this day a communication from the 
commander-in-chief, which has conveyed more consolation to my 
bosom, more ineffable delight to my heart, than I had believed it 
possible for it ever to have felt again. With affectionate tenderness 
he sympathizes with me in my domestic misfortunes, and condoles 
with me on the loss I have sustained by the recent death of an only 
son ; and then with peculiar delicacy, lamenting my misfortune in 
battle, assures me that his confidence in my zeal and capacity is so 
little impaired, that the command of the right wing of the army will 
be bestowed on me so soon as I can make it convenient to join 
him.' " 

After the peace, he retired to his farm in Berkley county, Va., 
where he remained until the year 1790, when he went to reside in 
New York, having first emancipated his slaves, and made a pecu- 
niary provision for such as were not able to provide for themselves. 
Some of them would not leave him, but continued in his family. 

On his arrival at New York, the freedom of the city was presented 
to him. In 1800 he accepted a seat in the legislature, but he 
retained it no longer than he conceived his services might be useful 
to the cause of liberty, which he never abandoned. 

His political opinions did not separate him from many respectable 
citizens, whose views differed widely from his own. He had a hand- 
some person and was gentlemanly in his manners, remarkably cour- 
teous to all, and gave indisputable marks of a social, amiable, and 
benevolent disposition. A few weeks before his death, he closed a 
letter to a friend in the following words : — " I am very weak, and 
have evident signs of an approaching dissolution. But I have lived 
long enough, since I have to see a mighty people animated with a 
spirit to be free, and governed by transcendant abilities and honor." 
He died without posterity, at his abode near New York, on the 10th 
day of April, 1806, aged 78 years. 




GENERAL GREENE. 





ENERAL GREENE, although 
descended from ancestors of ele- 
vated standing, was not indebted 
to the condition of his family, for 
any part of the real lustre and reputation 
he possessed. He was literally the founder 
of his own fortune, and the author of his 
own fame. He was the second son of 
Nathaniel Greene, a member of the society 
of Friends, an anchor-smith. 
He was born in the year 1741, in the town of Warwick, and 
county of Kent, in the province of Rhode Island. Being intended 
by his father for the business which he himself pursued, young 
Greene received at school nothing but the elements of a common 
English education. But to him, an education so limited was unsa- 
tisfactory. With such funds as he was able to raise, he purchased 
a small, but well-selected, library, and spent his evenings, and all 

110 



HIS INTRODUCTION TO WASHINGTON. 



Ill 



the time he could redeem from his father's business, in regular 
study. 

At a period of life unusually early, Greene was elevated, by a very 
nattering suffrage, to a seat in the legislature of his native colony. 
This was the commencement of a public career, which, heightening 
as it advanced, and flourishing in the midst of difficulties, closed 
with a lustre that was peculiarly dazzling. 

Thus introduced into the councils of his country, at a time when 
the rights of the subject, and the powers of the ruler, were begin- 
ning to be topics of liberal discussion, he felt it his duty to avow his 
sentiments on the momentous question. Nor did he pause or waver, 
as to the principles he should adopt, and the decision he should form. 
He. was inflexibly opposed to tyranny and oppression in every shape, 
and manfully avowed it. But his character, although forming, was 
not completely developed until the commencement of the troubles 
which terminated in our independence. It was then that he aspired 
to a head in the public councils ; and throwing from him, as unsuit- 
able to the times, the peaceful habits in which he had been educated, 
sternly declared for a redress of grievances, or open resistance. This 
open departure from the sectarian principles in which he had been 
educated, was followed, of course, by his immediate dismission from 
the society of Friends. 

The sword was earliest unsheathed in the colony of Massachusetts ; 
and on the plains of Lexington and Concord, the blood of British 
soldiers, and American subjects, mingled first in hostile strife. Nor 
was Rhode Island, after that sanguinary affair, behind her sister colo- 
nies, in gallantry of spirit, and promptitude of preparation. 

Greene commenced his military pupilage in the capacity of a pri- 
vate soldier, in Oct. 1774, in a military association, commanded by 
James M. Varnum, afterward brigadier-general. But Rhode Island 
having in the month of May, 1775, raised three regiments of militia, 
she placed them under the command of Greene, who, without loss 
of time, conducted them to head-quarters,- in the village of Cam- 
bridge. 

On the 2d of July, 1775, General Washington, invested by Con- 
gress with the command in chief of the armies of his country, arrived 
at Boston. Greene availed himself of an early opportunity amid the 
public demonstration of joy, to welcome the commander-in-chief, in 
a personal address, in which, with much warmth of feeling, and kind- 
ness of expression, he avowed his attachment to his person, and the 
high gratification he derived from the prospect of being associated 
with him in arms, and serving under him in defence of the violated 
rights of his country. 



112 



GREENE. 




HIS was a happy prelude to a friend- 
ship between these two great 
and illustrious officers, which 
death, alone, had the power to 
dissolve. It is a fact of notoriety, 
that when time and acquaint- 
ance had made him thoroughly 
acquainted with the character 
and merits of General Greene, 
Washington entertained, and frequently expressed an anxious wish, 
that in case of his death, he might be appointed his successor to the 
supreme command. 

During the investment of Boston by the American forces, a state 
of things which lasted for months, no opportunity presented itself to 
Greene to acquire distinction by personal exploit. But his love of 
action, and spirit of adventure, were strongly manifested, for he was 
one of the few officers of rank who concurred with General Wash- 
ington in the propriety of attempting to carry the town by assault. 

On the evacuation of Boston by the British, the American troops 
were permitted to repose from their toils, and to exchange, for a 
time, the hardships and privations of a field encampment, for the 
enjoyment of plenty, in comfortable barracks. During this period 
of relaxation, Greene continued, with unabating industry, his military 
studies, and as far as opportunity served, his attention to the prac- 
tical duties of the field. This course, steadily pursued, under the 
immediate supervision of Washington, could scarcely fail to procure 
rank and lead to eminence. Accordingly, on the 26th of August, 
1776, he was promoted by Congress to the rank of major-general in 
the regular army. 

A crisis, most glowing, and portentous to the cause of freedom, 
had now arrived. In the retreat which now commenced, through New 
Jersey, General Washington was accompanied by General Greene, 
and received from him all the aid that, under circumstances so dark 
and unpromising, talents, devotion, and firmness could afford. Pos- 
sessed alike of an ardent temperament, hearts that neither danger 
nor misfortune could appal, and an inspiring trust in the righteous- 
ness of their cause, it belonged to the character of these two great 
and illustrious commanders, never for a moment to despair of their 
country. Hope and confidence, even now, beamed from their coun- 
tenances, and they encouraged their followers, and supported them 
under the pressure of defeat and misfortune. 

Greene was one of the council of Washington, who resolved on 
the enterprise of the 26th of December, 1776, against the post of 



BATTLE OF BRANDYWINE. 



113 



the enemy at Trenton. The issue is known, and is glorious in our 
history. About one thousand Hessians, in killed, wounded, and pri- 
soners, with their arms, field equipage, and artillery, were the tro- 
phies of that glorious morning, which opened on the friends of 
American freedom with the day-star of hope. He was again of the 
council of the commander-in-chief, in planning the daring attack of 
the 2d January, 1777, on the British garrison at Princeton, as well 
as his associate in achieving its execution. In both these brilliant 
actions, his gallantry, prudence, and skill being alike conspicuous, 
he received the applauses of his commander. He continued the asso- 
ciate and most confidential counsellor of Washington through the 
gloomy and ominous period that followed. 

In the obstinate and bloody battle of Brandywine, General Greene, 
by his distinguished conduct, added greatly to his former renown. In 
the course of it, a detachment of American troops commanded by 
General Sullivan, being unexpectedly attacked by the enemy, re- 
treated in disorder. General Greene, at the head of Weedon's Vir- 
ginia brigade, flew to their support. On approaching-, he found the 
defeat of General Sullivan a perfect rout. Not a moment was to be 
lost. Throwing himself into the rear of his flying countrymen, and 
retreating slowly, he kept up, especially from his cannon, so destruc- 
tive a fire as greatly to retard the advance of the enemy. Aiming at 
length at a narrow defile, secured on the right and left by thick woods, 
he halted, sent forward his cannon, that they might be out of danger 
in case of his being compelled to a hasty retreat, and formed his 
troops, determined to dispute the pass with his small arms. This he 
effected with complete success, notwithstanding the vast superiority 
of the assailants, until after a conflict of more than an hour and a 
half, night came on, and brought it to a close. But for this quick- 
sighted interposition, Sullivan's detachment must have been nearly 
annihilated. 

On this occasion, only, did the slightest misunderstanding ever 
occur, between General Greene and the commander-in-chief. In his 
general orders after the battle, the latter neglected to bestow any 
special applause on Weedon's brigade. Against this General Greene 
remonstrated in person. 

General Washington replied, " You, sir, are considered my favorite 
officer. Weedon's brigade, like myself, are Virginians. Should I 
applaud them for their achievement, under your command, I shall be 
charged with partiality : jealousy will be excited, and the service 
injured." 

" Sir," exclaimed Greene, with considerable emotion, " I trust your 
Excellency will do me the justice to believe that I am not selfish. In 



114 



GREENE. 



my own behalf 1 have nothing to ask. Act towards me as you please ; 
I shall not complain. However richly I prize your Excellency's 
good opinion and applause, a consciousness that I have endeavored 
to do my duty, constitutes, at present, my richest reward. But do 
not, sir, let me entreat you, on account of the jealousy that may 
arise in little minds, withhold justice from the brave fellows I had 
the honor to command." 

Convinced that prudence forbade the special notice requested, the 
commander-in-chief persisted in his silence. Greene, on cool reflec- 
tion, appreciated the motives of his general, and lost no time in 
apologizing for his intemperate manner, if not for his expressions. 
Delighted with his frankness and magnanimity, Washington replied 
with a smile, — " An officer, tried as you have been, who errs but 
once in two years, deserves to be forgiven." With that he offered 
him his hand, and the matter terminated. 

OLLOWING General Greene in his military 
career, he next presents himself on the plains 
of Germantown. In this daring assault he 
commanded the left wing of the American 
army, and his utmost endeavors were used 
to retrieve the fortune of the day, in which 
his conduct met the approbation of the com- 
mander-in-chief. Lord Cornwallis, to whom 
he was often opposed, had the magnanimity 
to bestow upon him a lofty encomium. 
" Greene," said he, " is as dangerous as Washington. He is vigilant, 
enterprising, and full of resources. With but little hope of gaining 
any advantage over him, I never feel secure when encamped in his 
neighborhood." 

At this period, the quartermaster department m the American 
army, was in a very defective and alarming condition, and required 
a speedy and radical reform : and General Washington declared that 
such reform could be effected only by the appointment of a quarter- 
master-general, of great resources, well versed in business, and pos- 
sessing practical talents of the first order. When requested by 
Congress to look out for such an officer, he, at once, fixed his eye on 
General Greene. 

Washington well knew that the soul of Greene was indissolubly 
wedded to the duties of line. Notwithstanding this, he expressed, in 
conversation with a member of Congress, his entire persuasion, that 
if General Greene could be convinced of his ability to render his 
country greater services in the quartermaster department, than in 
the field, he would at once accept the appointment. " There is not," 




APPOINTED QUARTERMASTER. 



115 



said he, " an officer of the army, nor a man in America, more sincerely 
attached to the interests of his country. Could he best promote their 
interests, in the character of a corporal, he would exchange as I firmly 
believe, without a murmur, the epaulet for the knot. For although 
he is not without ambition : that ambition has not for its object the 
highest rank, so much as the greatest good." 

When the appointment was first offered General Greene, he 
declined it, but after a conference with the commander-in-chief, he 
consented to an acceptance, on condition that he should forfeit 
nothing of his right to command, in time of action. On these terms 
he received the appointment on the 22d of March, 1776, and entered 
immediately on the duties of the office. 

In this station he fully answered the expectations formed of his 
abilities ; and enabled the American army to move with additional 
celerity and vigor. 

During his administration of the quartermaster department, he 
took, on two occasions, a high and distinguished part in the field ; 
the first in the battle of Monmouth ; the second in a very brilliant 
expedition against the enemy in Rhode Island, under the command 
of General Sullivan. At the battle of Monmouth, the commander-in- 
chief, disgusted with the behavior of Treneral Lee, deposed him in 
the field of battle, and appointed General Greene to command the 
right wing, where he greatly contributed to retrieve the errors of his 
predecessor, and to the subsequent events of the day. 

His return to his native state was hailed by the inhabitants, with 
general and lively demonstrations of joy. Even the leading mem- 
bers of the society of Friends, who had reluctantly excluded him 
from their communion, often visited him at his quarters, and expressed 
their sincere satisfaction at the elevation he had attained in the con- 
fidence of his country. One of these plain gentlemen being asked 
in jest, by a young officer, how he, as an advocate of peace, could 
reconcile it with his conscience, to keep so much company with 
General Greene, whose profession was war ? — promptly replied, 
" Friend, it is not a suit of uniform that can either make or spoil a 
man. True, I do not approve of this many-colored apparel, (to the 
officer's dress,) but whatever may be the form or color of his coat, 
Nathaniel Greene still retains the same sound head and virtuous 
heart, that gained him the love and esteem of our society." 

During the year 1779, General Greene was occupied exclusively 
in the extensive concerns of the quartermaster department. 

About this time, General Greene was called to the performance of 
a duty, the most trying and painful he had ever encountered. We 
allude to the melancholy affair of Major" Andre, adjutant-general to 



mi 



GREENE. 



the British army, who was captured in disguise within the American 
lines. Washington detailed a court for this trial, composed of four- 
teen general officers, Lafayette and Steuben being two of the number, 
and appointed General Greene to preside. 

When summoned to this trial, Andre frankly disclosed without 
interrogatory, what bore heaviest on his own life, but inviolably con- 
cealed whatever might endanger the safety of others. His confessions 
were conclusive, and no witness was examined against him. The 
court were unanimous, that he had been taken as a spy, and must 
suffer death. Of this sentence he did not complain, but wished that 
he might be permitted to close a life of honor by a professional death, 
and not be compelled, like a common felon, to expire on a gibbet. 
To effect this, he made, in a letter to General Washington, one of the 
most powerful and pathetic appeals, that ever fell from the pen of a 
mortal. 

Staggered in his resolution, the commander-in-chief referred the 
subject, accompanied by the letter, to his general officers, who, with 
one exception, became unanimous in their decision that Andre should 
be shot. 

^HAT exception was found in General 
Greene, the president of the court. 
" Andre," said he, " is either a spy or 
an innocent man. If the latter, to exe- 
cute him, in any way, will be murder ; 
if the former, the mode of his death is 
prescribed by law, and you have no right 
to alter it. Nor is this all. At the present 
alarming crisis of our affairs, the public safety calls for a solemn and 
impressive example. Nothing can satisfy it, short of the execution 
of the prisoner, as a common spy ; a character of which his own 
confession has clearly convicted him. Beware how you suffer your 
feelings to triumph over your judgment. Indulgence to one may be 
death to thousands. BesideSj if you shoot the prisoner, instead of 
hanging him, you will excite suspicion, which you will be unable to 
allay. Notwithstanding all your efforts to the contrary, you will 
aw r aken public compassion, and the belief will become general, that, 
in the case of Major Andre, there were exculpatory circumstances, 
entitling him to lenity, beyond what he received — perhaps, entitling 
him to pardon. Hang him, therefore, or set him free." 

This reasoning being considered conclusive, the prisoner suffered 
as a common spy. 

We have now advanced to that period of the revolutionary war, in 
which the situation of Greene is about to experience an entire change 




SOUTHERN CAMPAIGN. 117 

No longer acting in the vicinity, or subject to the immediate orders 
of a superior, we are to behold him, in future, removed to a distance, 
and virtually invested with the supreme command of a large section 
of the United States. 

Congress, dissatisfied with the loss of the southern army, resolved 
that the conduct of General Gates should be submitted to the examina- 
tion of a court of inquiry, and the commander-in-chief directed to 
appoint an officer to succeed him. In compliance with the latter part 
of the resolution, General Washington, without hesitation, offered 
the appointment to General Greene. In a letter to Congress, recom- 
mending the general to the support of that body, he made the most 
honorable mention of him as " an officer in whose abilities, fortitude 
and integrity, from a long and intimate experience of them, he had 
the most entire confidence." Writing to Mr. Matthews, a member 
from Charleston, he says, " You have your wish, in the officer 
appointed to the southern command. I think I am giving you a gen- 
eral ; but what can a general do without arms, without clothing, 
without stores, without provisions." 

General Greene arrived at Charlotte, the head-quarters of General 
Gates, December 2d, 1780, and in entering on the duties of his 
command, he found himself in a situation that was fearfully embarrass- 
ing. His army, consisting mostly of militia, amounted to less than 
two thousand men, and he found on hand but three days' provision, 
and a very defective supply of ammunition. Iu front was an enemy, 
proud in victory, and too strong to be encountered. With such 
means, and under such circumstances, to recover two states, already 
conquered, and protect a third, constituted a task that was almost 
hopeless. 

It was not merely to meet an enemy in the field, to command 
skilfully, and fight bravely, either in proffered or accepted battle. 
These operations depend on mere professional qualifications, that 
can be readily acquired by moderate capacities. But to raise and 
provide for an army in a dispirited and devastated country, creating 
resources where they do not exist, to operate with an incompetent 
force on an extended and broken line of frontier ; to hold in check, 
in many points, and to avoid coming into contact in any, with an 
enemy superior in numbers and discipline; — to conduct a scheme of 
warfare like this, and such, precisely, was thaf which tested the 
abilities of General Greene, requires a genius of the highest order, 
combined with indefatigable industry and skill. 

Preparatory to the commencement of the campaign, Greene's first 
care was to prepare for his troops subsistence and ammunition, and 
in effecting this, he derived great aid from his personal experience in 



118 



GREENE. 



the business of the commissary and quartermaster's departments 
This qualification for such a diversity of duties, presented him to the 
troops in the two-fold relation of their supporter and commander. 
Much of the moral strength of an army consists in a confidence in 
its leader, an attachment to his person, and a spirit of subordination, 
founded on principle. To such an extent was this true, that even 
the common soldiery, sensible of the superintendence of a superior 
intellect, predicted confidently a change of fortune. Their defeat at 
Camden was soon forgotten by them, in their anticipations of future 
victory. They fancied themselves ready once more to take the field, 
and felt a solicitude to regain their lost reputation, and signalize their 
prowess in presence of their new and beloved commander. 

But, notwithstanding the spirit and confidence of his troops, 
Greene found himself unable to meet the enemy in the field. With 
Washington in his eye, and his own genius to devise his measures, 
he resolved on cautious movements and protracted war. Yet, to 
sustain the spirit of the country, it was necessary that he should not 
altogether shun his enemy ; but watching and confronting his scouts 
and foraging parties, fight, cripple, and beat him in detail ; and in all 
his movements, it was necessary for him to maintain a communica- 
tion with Virginia, from which he was to receive supplies of provisions, 
munitions, and men. 

General Greene's first movement from the village of Charlotte, 
was productive of the happiest effect. In the month of December 
he marched, with his main army, to the Cheraw Hills, about seventy 
miles to the right of Lord Cornwallis, despatching, at the same time, 
General Morgan, with four hundred continentals under Colonel 
Howard, Colonel Washington's corps of dragoons, and a few militia, 
amounting in all to six hundred, to take a position on the British left, 
distant from them about fifty miles. 

This judicious disposition, which formed a rallying point for the 
friends of independence, both in the east and west, and facilitated the 
procurement of provisions fo"r the troops, excited his lordship's 
apprehensions for the safety of Ninety-Six and Augusta, British 
posts, which he considered as menaced by the movements of Morgan, 
and gave rise to a train of movements which terminated in the cele- 
brated battle of the Cowpens. 

Cornwallis, immediately on learning the movements of Greene, 
despatched Colonel Tarlton with a strong detachment, amounting, 
in horse and foot, to near a thousand, for the protection of Ninety- 
Six, with orders to bring General Morgan, if possible, to battle. 
Greatly superior in numbers, he advanced on Morgan with a mena- 
cing aspect, and compelled him, at first, to fall back rapidly. But 



BATTLE OF THE COWPENS. 



119 




EsltI Comwallis. 



this was not long continued. Glorying in action, and relying with 
great confidence in the spirit and firmness of his regular troops, 
Morgan halted at the Cowpens, and prepared to give his adversary 
battle. The opportunity was eagerly seized by Tarlton. An engage- 
ment was the immediate consequence, and a complete victory was 
obtained by the Americans. Upwards of five hundred of the British 
laid down their arms and were made prisoners, and a very consider- 
able number were killed. Eight hundred stand of arms, two field- 
pieces, and thirty-five baggage wagons fell to the victors, who had 
only twelve killed and sixty wounded. 

The victory of the Cowpens, although achieved under the imme- 
diate command of Morgan, was the first stroke of General Greene's 
policy in the south, and augured favorably of his future career. It 
led to one of the most arduous, ably conducted, and memorable opera- 
tions, that occurred in the course of the revolutionary war — the 



; 



120 



GREENE. 



retreat of Greene, and the pursuit of Cornwallis, during the inclem 
encies of winter, a distance of two hundred and thirty miles. 

Galled in his pride, and crippled in his schemes, by the overthrow 
of Tarlton, Lord Cornwallis resolved, by a series of prompt and 
vigorous. measures, to avenge the injury and retrieve the loss which 
the royal arms had sustained at the Cowpens. His meditated opera- 
tions for this purpose, were to advance rapidly on Morgan, retake his 
prisoners, and destroy his force ; to maintain an intermediate position, 
and prevent his union with General Greene : or, in case of the junc- 
tion of the two armies, to cut off their retreat towards Virginia, and 
force them to action. 

But General Greene, no less vigilant and provident than himself, 
informed, by express, of the defeat of Tarlton, instantly perceived 
the object of his lordship, and ordering his troops to proceed under 
General Huger, to Salisbury, where he meditated a junction with 
Morgan's detachment, he himself, escorted by a few dragoons, set 
out for the head-quarters of that officer, and joined him shortly after. 

Cornwallis having committed to the flames his heavy baggage, 
and reduced his army to the condition of light troops, dashed towards 
Morgan. And here commenced the retreat of General Greene, in 
the course of which he displayed such resources, and gained, in the 
end, such lasting renown. Sensible of the immense prize for which 
he was contending, he tasked his genius to the uttermost. On the 
issue of the struggle was staked, not merely the lives of a few brave 
men ; not alone the existence of the whole army, but the fate of the 
south and the integrity of the Union. But his genius was equal to 
the crisis. By the most masterly movements, Greene effected a 
junction of the two divisions of his little army. 

To his great mortification, Lord Cornwallis now perceived that in 
two of his objects, the destruction of Morgan's detachment, and the 
prevention of its union with the main division, he was completely 
frustrated by the activity of Greene. But to cut off the retreat of 
the Americans into Virginia, after their union, and to compel them 
to action, was still, perhaps, practicable, and to the achievement of 
this he now directed his undivided energies. 

The genius of Greene, however, did not desert him on this trying 
occasion. Self-collected, and adapting his conduct to the nature of 
the crisis, his firmness grew with the increase of danger ; and the 
measure of his greatness, was the extent of the difficulties he was 
called to encounter. Notwithstanding the vigilance and activity of 
his enemy, he brought his men in safety into Virginia, and to crown 
the whole, no loss was sustained by him, either in men, munitions, 
artillery, or any thing that enters into the equipment of an army. 




BATTLE OF GUILFORD. 121 

Frustrated thus in all his purposes, Lord Cornwallis, although the 
pursuing party, must be acknowledged to have been fairly vanquished. 
Victory is the successful issue of a struggle for superiority. Military 
leaders contend for different objects ; to vanquish their enemies, in 
open conflict ; to attack and overthrow them by stratagem and sur- 
prise ; to exhaust their resources by delay of action ; or to elude 
them, in retreat, until strengthened by reinforcements, they may be 
able to turn and meet them in the field. Of this last description, was 
the victory of Greene, in this memorable retreat. 

N Virginia, General Greene- received some reinforce- 
ments, and had the promise of more ; on which he 
returned again into North Carolina, where, on their 
arrival, he hoped to be able to act on the offensive. 
He encamped in the vicinity of Lord Cornwallis's army. 
By a variety of the best concerted manoeuvres, he so judiciously 
supported the arrangement of his troops, by the secrecy and prompti- 
tude of his motions, that, during three weeks, while the enemy re- 
mained near him, he prevented them from taking any advantage of 
their superiority ; and even cut off all opportunity of their receiving 
succors from the royalists. 

About the beginning of March he effected a junction with a conti- 
nental regiment, and two considerable bodies of Virginia and Carolina 
militia. He then determined on attacking the British commander, 
without loss of time, " being persuaded," as he declared on his sub- 
sequent despatches, "that if he was successful, it would prove ruinous 
to the enemy, and, if otherwise, that it would be but a partial evil to 
him." On the 14th, he arrived at Guilford Court-house, the British 
then lying at twelve miles distance. 

His army consisted of about four thousand five hundred men, of 
whom near two-thirds were North Carolina and Virginia militia. 
The British were about two thousand four hundred, all regular troops, 
and the greater part inured to toil and service in their long expedi- 
tion under Lord Cornwallis, who, on the morning of the 15th, being 
apprised of General Greene's intentions, marched to meet him. The 
latter disposed his army in three lines : the militia of North Caro- 
lina were in front ; the second line was composed of those of Vir- 
ginia ; and the third, which was the flower of the army, was formed 
of continental troops, near fifteen hundred in number. They were 
flanked on both sides by cavalry and riflemen, and posted on a rising 
ground, a mile and a half from Guilford Court-house. 

The engagement commenced at half an hour after one o'clock, 
by a brisk cannonade ; after which the British advanced in three 
columns and attacked the first line, composed of North Carolina 



122 GREENE. 

militia. These, who probably had never been in action before, were 
panic-struck at the approach of the enemy, and many of them ran 
away without firing a gun or being fired upon, and even before the 
British had come nearer than one hundred and forty yards to them. 
Part of them, however, fired ; but they then followed the example 
of their comrades. Their officers made every possible effort to rally 
them ; but neither the advantages of position, nor any other consi- 
deration, could induce them to maintain their ground. This shameful 
conduct had a great effect upon the issue of the battle. The next 
line, however, behaved much better. They fought with great 
bravery ; and were thrown into disorder ; rallied, returned to the 
charge, and kept up a heavy fire for a long time ; but were at length 
broken and driven on the third line, when the engagement became 
general, very severe, and very bloody. At length, superiority of dis- 
cipline carried the day from superiority of numbers. The conflict 
endured an hour and a half, and was terminated by General Greene's 
ordering a retreat, when he perceived that the enemy were on the 
point of encircling his troops." 

This was a hard fought action, and the exertions of the two rival 
generals, both in preparing for this action, and during the course of 
it, were never surpassed. Forgetful of every thing but the fortune 
of the day, they, on several occasions, mingled in the danger like 
common soldiers. 

The loss sustained by the Americans in this battle, amounted, in 
killed and wounded, to only about 400 ; while in its effect on the 
enemy it was murderous ; nearly one third of them, including many 
officers of distinction, were killed and wounded. 

The result of this conflict, although technically a defeat, was vir- 
tually a victory on the part of General Greene. In its relation to 
his adversary, it placed him on higher ground than he had previously 
occupied, enabling him, immediately afterward, instead of retreating, 
to become the pursuing party. This is evidenced by his conduct 
soon after the action. 

Not doubting that Lord Cornwallis would follow him, he retreated 
slowly, and in good order, from the field of battle, until attaining, at 
the distance of a few miles, an advantageous position, he again drew 
up his forces, determined to renew the contest on the arrival of his 
enemy. But his lordship was in no condition to pursue. Having, 
by past experience, not to be forgotten, learnt that his adversary was 
a Ulysses in wisdom, he now perceived that he was an Ajax in 
strength. Alike expert in every mode of warfare, and not to be van- 
quished, either by stratagem or force, he found him too formidable to 
be again approached. 



±1 



CORNWALLIS S RETREAT. 



123 



Influenced by these sentiments, Lord Cornwallis, instead of pur- 
suing his foe, or even maintaining his ground, commenced his retreat, 
leaving behind him about seventy of his wounded, whom he recom- 
mended, in a letter written by himself, to the humanity and attention 
of the American chief. 

Had General Greene been in a situation to pursue his lordship as 
soon as he commenced his retreat, the destruction of that officer and 
his army- would have been inevitable. Some spot on the plains of 
Carolina would have witnessed the surrender that was reserved for 
Virginia ; and the hero of the south would have won the laurels 
which, shortly afterwards, decorated the brow of the hero of the 
nation. But Greene's military stores were so far expended that he 
could not pursue until he received a supply ; and the delay, thus 
occasioned, gave time to the British commander to effect his escape. 

Having received his supplies, Greene immediately pursued the 
enemy ; but the advanced position of Lord Cornwallis, and the 
impracticable condition of the roads, frustrated every exertion that 
General Greene could make to compel the enemy to a second engage- 
ment, — convinced of this, he halted to indulge his troops in that 
refreshment and repose which they so much needed. 

Were we to indicate the period in the life of General Greene most 
strongly marked by the operations, and irradiated by the genius of a 
great commander, we would, without hesitation, select that which 
extends from the commencement of his retreat before Cornwallis, to 
the termination of his pursuit of him at this time. Perhaps a brighter 
era does not adorn the military career of any leader. It was in the 
course of it that he turned the current of adverse fortune consequent 
on the defeat of Gates, which he afterwards directed with such cer- 
tain aim and irresistible force, as to keep the enemy from his numerous 
strong-holds in the southern department, and contributed so pre- 
eminently to the speedy and felicitous issue of the war. 

Having abandoned the pursuit of the British army, the general 
again found himself encircled with difficulties. Of the southern 
department of the Union, over which Greene's command extended, 
the enemy was in force in three large and important sections. 
Georgia and South Carolina were entirely in their possession ; 
Lord Cornwallis had taken post in the maritime district of North 
Carolina, and part of Virginia was occupied by a powerful detach- 
ment of British troops, under the comm^od of General Phillips. 
At a loss to determine in which of these points he should act in 
person, he consulted his officers, and found them greatly divided 
in opinion. He however, resolved, in accordance to the views of 
Colonel Lee, that, leaving his lordship, whose object evidently was 



124 



GREENE. 




the invasion of Virginia, to be met by 
the energies of that state, with such 
assistance as might arrive from the 
north, he should penetrate South Caro- 
lina, his army divided into two columns, 
attack and beat the enemy at their dif- 
ferent posts, without permitting them to 
concentrate their forces, and thus re- 
cover that rich and important member 
of the Union. 

An officer who had distinguished 
Colonel Lee. himself in the late action, not satis- 

fied with the proposed plan of operations, asked General Greene 
by way of remonstrance, — " What will you do, sir, in case Lord 
Gornwallis throws himself in your rear, and cuts off your communi- 
cation with Virginia?" — "I will punish his temerity," replied the 
general with great pleasantness, " by ordering you to charge him as 
you did at the battle of Guilford. But never fear, sir ; his lordship 
has too much good sense ever again to risk his safety so far from the 
seaboard. He has just escaped ruin, and he knows it, and I am 
greatly mistaken in his character as an officer, if he has not the 
capacity to profit by experience." 

On the 7th of April, General Greene broke up his encampment, 
and with the main column of his army, moving to the south, took 
position on Hobkirk's Hill, in front of Camden, the head-quarters of 
Lord Rawdon, now the commander-in-chief of the British forces in 
the south. 

The strength of the British position, which was covered on the 
south and east side by a river and creek ; and to the westward and 
northward, by six redoubts ; rendered it impracticable to carry it by 
storm, with the small army Greene had, consisting of about seven 
hundred continentals, the militia having gone home. He, therefore, 
encamped at about a mile from the town, in order to prevent supplies 
from being brought in, and to take advantage of such favorable cir- 
cumstances as might occur. 

Lord Rawdon's situation was extremely delicate. Colonel Wat- 
son, whom he had some time before detached, for the protection of 
the eastern frontiers, and to whom he had, on the intelligence of 
General Greene's intentions, sent orders to return to Camden, was 
so effectually watched by General Marion, that it was impossible for 
him to obey. His lordship's supplies were, moreover, very preca- 
rious ; and should General Greene's reinforcements arrive, he might 
be so closely invested, as to be at length obliged to surrender. In 



BATTLE OF IIOBKIRK S HILL. 



125 




Lord Eawdoru 

this dilemma, the best expedient tnat suggested itself, was a bold 
attack ; for which purpose, he armed every person with him capable 
of carrying a musket, not excepting his musicians and drummers. 
He sallied out on the 25th of April, and attacked General Greene in 
his camp. The defence was obstinate ; and for some part of the 
engagement the advantage [appeared to be in favor of America. 
Lieutenant-Colonel Washington, who commanded the cavalry, had 
at one time not less than two hundred British prisoners. However, 
by the misconduct of one of the American regiments, victory was 
snatched from General Greene, who was compelled to retreat. He 
lost in the action about two hundred killed, wounded, and prisoners. 
Rawdon lost about two hundred and fifty-eight. 

There was a great similarity between the consequences of the 
affair at Guilford, and those of this action. In the former, Lord 



126 GREENE. 

Cornwallis was successful, but was afterwards obliged to retreat two 
hundred miles from the scene of action, and for a time abandoned 
the grand object of penetrating to the northward. In the latter, Lord 
Rawdon had the honor of the field, but was shortly after reduced to 
the necessity of abandoning his post, and leaving behind him a num- 
ber of sick and wounded. 

The evacuation of Camden, with the vigilance of General Greene, 
sand the several officers he employed, gave a new complexion to affairs 
in South Carolina, where the British ascendency declined more 
rapidly than it had been established. The numerous forts, garrisoned 
by the enemy, fell one after the other, into the hands of the Ameri- 
cans. Orangeburgh, Motte, Watson, Georgetown, Granby, and others, 
Fort Ninety-Six excepted, were surrendered ; and a very considerable 
number of prisoners of war, with military stores and artillery, were 
found in them. 

On the 22d of May, General Greene sat down before Ninety-Six, 
with the main part of his little army. The siege was carried on for 
a considerable time with great spirit, and the place was defended 
with equal bravery. At length the works were so far reduced, that 
a surrender must have been made in a few days, when a reinforce- 
ment of three regiments, from Europe, arrived at Charleston, which 
enabled Lord Rawdon to proceed to relieve this important post. The 
superiority of the enemy's force reduced General Greene to the alter- 
native of abandoning the siege altogether, or previous to their arrival, 
of attempting the fort by storm. The latter was more agreeable to 
his enterprising spirit, and an attack was made on the morning of the 
19th of June. He was repulsed with the loss of one hundred and 
fifty men. He raised the siege, and retreated over the Saluda. 

Dr. Ramsay, speaking of the state of affairs about this period, 
says, " Truly distressing was the situation of the American army ; 
when in the grasp of victory, to be obliged to expose themselves to 
a hazardous assault, and afterward to abandon a siege. When they 
were nearly masters of the whole country, to be compelled to retreat 
to its extremity ; and after subduing the greatest part of the force 
sent against them, to be under the pecessity of encountering still 
greater reinforcements, when their remote situation precluded them 
from the hope of receiving a single recruit. In this gloomy situation, 
th«re were not wanting persons who advised General Greene to leave 
the state, and retire with his remaining forces to Virginia. To argu- 
ments and suggestions of this kind, he nobly replied, ' I will recover 
the country, or die in the attempt.' This distinguished officer, 
whose genius was most vigorous in those extremities, when feeble 
minds abandon themselves to despair, adopted the only resource now 



BATTLE OP EUTAW STRINGS. 



127 




General Marion. 

left him, of avoiding an engagement, until the British force should 
be divided." 

Greene having, without loss, made good his passage over the rivers 
in front, Lord Rawdon, perceiving the futility of any further attempt 
to overtake him, abandoned the pursuit, and retreating to Ninety-Six, 
prepared for its evacuation. Thus did the policy of Greene, which 
is moral strength, compel the surrender of that fortress, although 
from a want of physical strength, he failed to carry it by the sword. 

No sooner had Lord Rawdon commenced his retrograde movement 
towards Ninety-Six than. General Greene changed his front, and 
moved in the same direction. On the breaking up of the garrison of 
Ninety-Six, and the return of Lord Rawdon towards Charleston, 
which immediately ensued, the British army moved in two columns, 
at a considerable distance from each other. It was then that General 
Greene became, in reality, the pursuing party, exceedingly anxious 
to bring the enemy to battle. But this he was unahle to accomplish 
until September. 

September the 9th, General Greene having assembled about two 
thousand men, proceeded -to attack the British, who, under the com- 
mand of Colonel Stewart, were posted at the Eutaw Springs. The 
American force was drawn up in two lines : the first, composed of 
Carolina militia, was commanded by Generals Marion and Pickens, 



128 GREENE. 

and Colonel de Malmedy. The second, which consisted of conti- 
nental troops, from North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, was 
commanded by General Sumpter, Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, and 
Colonel Williams ; Lieutenant-Colonel Lee, with his legion, covered 
the right flank ; and Lieutenant-Colonel Henderson, with the state 
troops, covered the left. A corps de reserve was formed of the cavalry 
under Lieutenant-Colonel Washington, and the Delaware troops 
under Captain Kirkwood. As the Americans came forward to the 
attack, they fell in with some advanced parties of the enemy, at 
about two or three miles ahead of the main body. These being 
closely pursued, were driven back, and the action soon became gene- 
ral. The militia were at length forced to give way, but were bravely 
supported by the second line. In the hottest part of the engagement, 
Genera] Greene ordered the Maryland and Virginia continentals to 
charge with trailed arms. This decided the fate of the day. " No- 
thing," says Dr. Ramsay, "could surpass the intrepidity of both 
officers and men on this occasion. They rushed on in good order 
through a heavy cannonade, and a shower of musketry, with such 
unshaken resolution, that they bore down all before them." The 
British were broken, closely pursued, and upwards of five hundred 
of them were taken prisoners. They, however, made a fresh stand 
in a favorable position, in impenetrable shrubs and a piqueted garden. 
Lieutenant-Colonel Washington, after having made every effort to 
dislodge them, was wounded and taken prisoner. Four six pounders 
were brought forward to play upon them, but they fell into their 
hands ; and the endeavors to drive them from their station, being 
found impracticable, the Americans retired, leaving a very strong 
picket on the field of battle. Their loss was about five hundred; 
that of the British upwards of eleven hundreds 

General Greene was honored by Congress with a British standard, 
and a gold medal, emblematical of the engagement, " for his wise, 
decisive, and magnanimous conduct, in the action at Eutaw Springs, 
in which, with a force inferior in number to that of the enemy, he 
obtained a most signal victory." 

In the evening of the succeeding day, Colonel Stewart abandoned 
his post and retreated towards Charleston, leaving behind upwards 
of seventy of his wounded, and a thousand stand of arms. He was 
pursued a considerable distance, but in vain.. 

In Dr. Caldwell's memoirs of the life of General Greene, we have 
the following interesting story as connected with the severe conflict 
at Eutaw Springs. 

" Two young officers, bearing the same rank, met in personal com- 
bat. The American, perceiving that the Briton had a decided supe- 



AN ADVENTURE. 



131 



riority in the use of the sabre, and being himself of great activity 
and personal strength, almost gigantic, closed with his adversary and 
made him his prisoner. 

" Gentlemanly, generous, and high-minded, this event, added to a 
personal resemblance which they were observed to bear to each other, 
produced between these two youthful warriors an intimacy, which 
increased in a short time to a mutual attachment. 

" Not long after the action, the American officer returning home 
on furlough, to settle some private business, obtained permission for 
his friend to accompany him. 

" Travelling without attendants or guard, they were both armed 
and well mounted. Part of their route lay through a settlement 
highly disaffected to the American cause. 

" When in the midst of this, having, in consequence of a shower of 
rain, thrown around them their cloaks, which concealed their uni- 
forms, they were suddenly encountered by a detachment of tories. 

" The young American, determined to die rather than become a 
prisoner, especially to men whom he held in abhorrence for disloyalty 
to their country, and the generous Briton resolved not to survive one 
by whom he had been distinguished and treated so kindly, they both 
together, with great spirit and self-possession, charged the royalists, 
having first made signals in their rear, as if directing others to follow 
them ; and thus, without injury on either side, had the address and 
good fortune to put the party to flight. 

" Arriving in safety at their place of destination, what was their 
surprise and augmented satisfaction on finding, from some questions 
proposed by the American officer's father, that they were first cousins ! 

" With increasing delight, the young Briton passed several weeks 
in the family of his kinsman, where the writer of this narrative saw 
him daily, and often listened with the rapture of a child, to the 
checkered story of his military adventures. 

" To heighten the occurrence, and render it more romantic, the 
American officer had a sister, beautiful and accomplished, whose heart 
soon felt for the gallant stranger, more than the affection due to a 
cousin. The attachment was mutual. 

" But here the adventure assumed a tragical cast. The youthful 
foreigner, being exchanged, was summoned to return to his regiment. 
The message was fatal to his peace. But military honor demanded 
the sacrifice ; and the lady, generous and hi«jh-minded as himself, 
would not be instrumental in dimming his laurels. The parting scene 
was a high-wrought picture of tenderness and sorrow. On taking 
leave, the parties mutually bound themselves, by a solemn promise, 
to remain single a certain number of years, in the hope that an 



132 



GREENE. 



arrangement contemplated, might again bring them togethei. A 
few weeks afterwards, the lady expired under an attack of the small- 
pox. The fate of the officer we never learnt." 

Judge Johnson, in his life of General Greene, says — " At the battle 
of the Eutaw Springs, Greene says, 'that hundreds of my men were 
naked as they were born.' Posterity will scarcely believe that the 
bare loins of many brave men who carried death into the enemy's 
ranks at the Eutaw, were galled by their cartouch boxes, while a 
folded rag or a tuft of moss protected the shoulders from sustaining 
the same injury from the musket. Men of other times will inquire, 
by what magic was the army kept together? By what supernatural 
power was it made to fight •" 

General Greene, in his letters to the secretary at war, says—" We 
have three, hundred men without arms, and more than one thousand 
so naked that they can be put on duty only in cases of a desperate 
nature." Again he says — " Our difficulties are so numerous, and 
our wants so pressing, that I have not a moment's relief from the 
most painful anxieties. I have more embarrassments than it is proper 
to disclose to the world. Let it suffice to say that this part of the 
United States has had a narrow escape. / have been seven months in 
the field without taking off my clothes." 

The battle of Eutaw Springs being terminated, General Greene 
ordered the light troops under Lee and Marion to march circuitously, 
and gain a position in the British rear. But the British leader was 
so prompt in his measures, and so precipitate in his movements, that, 
leaving his sick and wounded behind him, he made good his retreat. 
The only injury he received in his flight, was from Lee and Marion, 
who cut off part of his rear guard, galled him in his flanks, killed 
several, and made a number of prisoners. 

Such was the issue of the battle of Eutaw. Like that of every 
other fought by General Greene, it manifested in him judgment and 
sagacity of the highest order. Although he was repeatedly forced 
from the field, it may be truly said of that officer, that he never lost 
an action — the consequences, at least, being always in his favor. In 
no instance did he fail to reduce his enemy to a condition, relatively 
much worse than that in which he met him, his own condition of 
course, being relatively improved. 

The battle of the Eutaw Springs, was the last essay in arms in 
which it was the fortune of General Greene to command, and was 
succeeded by the abandonment of the whole of South Carolina by 
the enemy, except Charleston. During the relaxation that followed, 
a dangerous plot was formed by some mutinous persons of the army, 
to deliver up their brave general to the British. The plot was dis- 



DEATH OF GENEIiAl GREENE. 



133 



covered and defeated; the ringleader apprehended, tried, and shot; 
and twelve of the most guilty of his associates deserted to the enemy. 
To the honor of the American character, no native of the country 
was known to be concerned in this conspiracy. Foreigners alone 
were its projectors and abettors. 

The surrender of Lord Cornwallis, whose enterprising spirit had 
been, by the British ministry, expected to repair the losses, and wipe 
away the disgrace which had been incurred through the inactivity 
and indolence of other generals, having convinced them of the im- 
practicability of subjugating America, they discontinued offensive 
operations in every quarter. The happy period at length arrived, 
when, by the virtue and bravery of her sons, aided by the bounty of 
heaven, America compelled her invaders to acknowledge her inde- 
pendence. Then her armies quitted the tented field, an I retired to 
cultivate the arts of peace and happiness. Gen. Greene immediately 
withdrew from the south, and returned to the bosom of his native 
state. 

The reception he there experienced was cordial and joyous. The 
authorities welcomed him home with congratulatory addresses, and 
the chief men of the place waited upon him at his dwelling, eager to 
testify their gratitude for his services, their admiration of his talents 
and virtues, and the pride with which they recognized him as a native 
of Rhode Island. 

On the close of the war, the three southern states that had been 
the most essentially benefited by his wisdom and valor, manifested 
at once their sense of justice and their gratitude to General Greene, 
by liberal donations. South Carolina presented him with an estate, 
valued at ten thousand pounds sterling ; Georgia, with an estate, a 
few miles from the city of Savannah, worth five thousand pounds ; 
and North Carolina, with twenty-five thousand acres of land in the 
state of Tennessee. 

Having spent about two years in his native slate, in the adjustment 
of his private affairs, he sailed for Georgia, in October, 1785, and 
settled with his family, on his estate near Savannah. Engaging here 
in agricultural pursuits, he employed himself closely in arrangements 
for planting, exhibiting the fairest promise to become as eminent in 
the practice of the peaceful virtues, as he had already shown himself 
in the occupations' of war. 

But it was the will of Heaven, that in this new sphere of action 
his course should be limited. The short period of seven months was 
destined to witness its commencement and its close. 

Walking over his grounds, as was his custom, without his hat, on 
the afternoon of the 15th June, 1786, the day being intensely hot, 



134 



GREENE. 



he was suddenly attacked with such a vertigo and prostration of 
strength as to be unable to return to his house without assistance. 
The affection was what was denominated a " stroke of the sun." It 
was succeeded by fever, accompanied with stupor, delirium, and a 
disordered stomach. All efforts to subdue it proving fruitless, it ter- 
minated fatally on the 19th of the month. 

Intelligence of the event being conveyed to Savannah, but one 
feeling pervaded the place. Sorrow was universal, and the whole 
town instinctively assumed the aspect of mourning. All business was 
suspended, the dwelling-houses, stores, and shops, were closed, and 
the shipping in the harbor half-masted their colors. 

On the following clay the body of the deceased, being conveyed to 
the town, at the request of the inhabitants, was interred in a private 
cemetery with military honors ; the magistrates of the place, and 
other public officers, the society of the Cincinnati, and the citizens 
generally, joined in the procession 

On the 12th of August, of the year in which the general died, the 
Congress of the United States unanimously resolved — " That a 
monument be erected to the memory of the Honorable Nathaniel 
Greene, at the seat of the Federal Government, with the following 
inscription : 

SACRED 

TO THB 

MEMORY 

OF THB 

HON. NATHANIEL GREENE, 

"WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE 

The 19th of June, 

MDCCLXXXVI. 
LATE MAJOR GENERAL 



IN THE SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES, 

AND COMMANDER OF THE AIIMT IN THE 

SOUTHERN DEPARTMENT. 

THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGI1ESS ASSEMBLED, 

IN HONOR OF 

HIS PATRIOTISM, VALOR, AND ABILITY, 

HAVE ERECTED THIS 

MONUMENT. 

To the disgrace of the nation, no monument has been erected ; 
nor, for the want of a headstone, can any one at present designate 
the spot, where the relics of the Hero of the South lie interred. 



CHARACTER OF GENERAL GREENE. 135 

In estimating the military character of General Greene, facts 
authorize the inference, that he possessed a genius adapted by na- 
ture to military command. After resorting to arms, his attainment 
to rank was much more rapid, than that of any other officer our 
country has produced; perhaps the most rapid that history records. 
These offices, so high in responsibility and honor, were conferred on 
"him, not as matters of persona] favor, or family influence, nor yet 
through the instrumentality of political intrigue. They were rewards 
of pre-eminent merit, and tokens of recognized fitness for the highest 
functions of military service. 

It is said, that, on his very first appearance in the camp at Cam- 
bridge, from the ardor of his zeal, unremitted activity, and strict 
attention to every duty, he was pronounced by soldiers of distinction, 
a man of real military genius. 

" His knowledge" (said General Knox to a distinguished citizen 
of South Carolina,) " is intuitive. He came to us the rawest, and 
most untutored being I ever met with ; but in less than twelve 
months, he was equal in military knowledge to any general officer in 
the army, and very superior to most of them." Even the enemy he 
conquered, did homage to his pre-eminent talents for war. Tarlton, 
who had strong ground to know him, is reported to have pronounced 
him, on a public occasion, the most able and accomplished com- 
mander that America had produced. 

When acting under the order of others, he never failed to dis- 
charge, to their satisfaction, the duties intrusted to him, however 
arduous. But it is the southern department of the Union, that con- 
stitutes the theatre of his achievements and fame. It was there, 
where his views were unshackled, and his genius free, that by per- 
forming the part of a great captain, he erected for himself a monu- 
ment of reputation, durable as history, lofty as victory and conquest 
could render it, and brightened by all that glory could bestow. 

In compliment to his brilliant successes, the chivalric De la Luzerne, 
the minister of France, who as a Knight of Malta, must be considered 
as a competent judge of military merit, thus speaks of him : — " Other 
generals subdue their enemies by the means with which their country, 
or their sovereign furnished them, but Greene appears to subdue his 
enemy by his own means. He commenced his campaign, without 
either an army, provisions, or military stores. He has asked for 
nothing since ; and yet, scarcely a post arrives from the south, that 
does not bring intelligence of some new advantage gained over 
his foe. He conquers by magic. History furnishes no parallel to 
this." 




J 


p™ 




IB 



MAJOR GENERAL ANTHONY WAYNE. 




NTHONY WAYNE, a major-general in the 
American army, occupies a conspicuous sta- 
tion among the heroes and patriots of the 
American revolution. He was born January 
1st, 1745, in Chester county, in the state 
of Pennsylvania. His father, Isaac Wayne, 
a respectable farmer, was many years a re- 
presentative for the county of Chester, in 
the general assembly, before the revolution. His grandfather, who 
was distinguished for his attachment to the principles of liberty, bore 
a captain's commission under King William, at the battle of the 
Boyne. Anthony Wayne succeeded his father as representative for 
the county of Chester, in the year 1773 ; and from his first appear- 
ance in public life, distinguished himself as a firm and decided 

136 



BATTLE OF BRANDYWINE. 137 

patriot. He opposed, with much ability, the unjust demands of the 
mother country, and in connection with some gentlemen of distin- 
guished talents, was of material service in preparing the way for the 
firm and decisive part which Pennsylvania took in the general 
contest. 

In 1775, he was appointed to the command of a regiment, which 
his character enabled him to raise in a few weeks in his native county. 
In the same year he was detached under General Thompson into 
Canada. In the defeat which followed, in which General Thompson 
was made a prisoner, Colonel Wayne, though wounded, displayed 
great gallantry and good conduct, in collecting and bringing off the 
scattered and broken bodies of troops. 

In the campaign of 1776, he served under General Gates, at 
Ticonderoga, and was highly esteemed by that officer for both his 
bravery and skill as an engineer. At the close of that campaign he 
was created a brigadier-general. 

At the battle of Brandywine he behaved with his usual bravery, 
and for a long time opposed the progress of the enemy at Chad's 
Ford. In this action the inferiority of the Americans in numbers, 
discipline, and arms, gave them little chance of success ; but the 
peculiar situation of the public mind was supposed to require a battle 
to be risked : the ground was bravely disputed, and the action was 
not considered as decisive. The spirit of the troops was preserved 
by a belief that the loss of the enemy had equalled their own. As 
it was the intention of the American commander-in-chief to hazard 
another action on the first favorable opportunity that should offer, 
General Wayne was detached, with his division, to harass the enemy 
by every means in his power. The British troops were encamped at 
Tredyffrin, and General Wayne was stationed about three miles in 
the rear of their left wing, near the Paoli tavern ; and from the pre- 
cautions he had taken he considered himself secure ; but about 
eleven o'clock on the night of the 20th September, Major-General 
Gray, having driven in his pickets, suddenly attacked him with fixed 
bayonets. Wayne, unable to withstand the superior number of 
assailants, was obliged to retreat ; but formed again at a small dis- 
tance, having lost about one hundred and fifty killed and wounded. 
As blame was attached by some of the officers of the army to General 
Wayne, for allowing himself to be surprised in this manner, he 
demanded a court martial, which, after examining the necessary 
evidence, declared that he had done every thing to be expected 
from an active, brave, and vigilant officer, and acquitted him with 
honor. 

A neat marble monument has been recentlv erected on the battle 




138 WAYNE. 

ground, to the memory of the gallant men who fell on the night of 
the 20th September, 1777. 

HORTLY after was fought the battle of German- 
town, in which he greatly signalized himself, by 
his spirited manner of leading his men into action. 
In this action he had one horse shot under him, 
and another as he was mounting ; and at the same 
instant, received slight wounds in the left foot and 
left hand. 

In all councils of war, Gen. Wayne was distin- 
guished for supporting the most energetic and decisive measures. In 
the one previous to the battle of Monmouth, he and Gen. Cadwalader 
were the only officers decidedly in favor of attacking the British army. 
The American officers are said to have been influenced by the opinions 
of the Europeans. The Baron de Steuben, and Generals Lee and 
Du Portail, whose military skill was in high estimation, had warmly 
opposed an engagement, as too hazardous. But General Washing- 
ton, whose opinion was in favor of an engagement, made such dispo- 
sition as would be most likely to lead to it. In that action, so 
honorable to the American arms, General Wayne was conspicuous 
in the ardor of his attack. General Washington, in his letter to 
Congress, observes, " Were I to conclude my account of this day's 
transactions without expressing my obligations to the officers of the 
army in general, I should do injustice to their merit, and violence to 
my own feelings. They seemed to vie with each other in manifesting 
their zeal and bravery. The catalogue of those who distinguished 
themselves, is too long to admit of particularizing individuals. I 
cannot, however, forbear mentioning Brigadier-General Wayne, 
whose good conduct and bravery, throughout the whole action, 
deserves particular commendation." 

" Among the many exploits of gallantry and prowess which shed a 
lustre on the fame of our revolutionary army, the storming the fort at 
Stony Point has always been considered one of the most brilliant. 

" To General Wayne, who commanded the light infantry of the 
army, the execution of the plan was intrusted. Secrecy was deemed 
so much more essential to success than numbers, that it was thought 
unadvisable to add to the force already on the lines. One brigade 
was ordered to commence its march so as to reach the scene of 
action in time to cover the troops engaged in the attack, in case 
of any unlooked for disaster ; and Major Lee, of the light dragoons, 
who had been eminently useful in obtaining the intelligence which 
led to the enterprise, was associated with General Wayne, as far as 
cavalry could be employed in such a service. 



STORMING OF STONY POINT. 



139 




Stormiag of Stony Point. 

The night of the 15th of July, 1779, was fixed on for the assault ; 
and it being suspected that the garrison would probably be more on 
their guard towards day, twelve was chosen for the hour. 

Stony Point is a commanding hill, projecting far into the Hudson, 
which washes three-fourths of its base ; the remaining fourth is in a 
great measure, covered by a deep marsh, commencing near the river 
on the upper side, and continuing into it below. Over this marsh, 
there is only one crossing place. But at its junction with the river 
is a sandy beach, passable at low tide. On the summit of this hill 
was erected the fort, which was furnished with a sufficient number 
of heavy pieces of ordnance. Several breastworks and strong bat- 
teries were advanced in front of the principal work, and about half- 
way down the hill, were two rows of abatis. The batteries were 
calculated to command the beach, and the crossing place of the 
marsh, and to rake and enfilade any column which might be advanc- 
ing from either of those points towards the fort. In addition to these 
defences, several vessels of war were stationed in the river, so as, in 
a considerable degree, to command the ground at the foot of the hill. 

The fort was garrisoned by about six hundred men, under the com- 
mand of Lieutenant-Colonel Johnson. 

At noon of the day preceding the night of attack, the light infantry 
commenced their march from Sandybeach, distant fourteen miles 
from Stony Point, and passing through an excessively rugged and 
mountainous country, arrived about eight in the afternoon at Spring 



140 WAYNE. 

Steel's, one and a half miles from the fort, where the dispositions ior 
the assault were made. 

It was intended to attack the works on the right and left flanks at 
the same instant. The regiment of Febiger, and of Meigs, with 
Major Hull's detachment, formed the right column, and Butler's 
regiment, with two companies under Major Murfree, formed the left. 
One hundred and fifty volunteers, led by Lieutenant-Colonel Fleury 
and Major Posey, constituted the van of the right ; and one hundred 
volunteers under Major Stuart, composed the van of the left. At 
half past eleven, the two columns moved on to the charge, the van 
of each with unloaded muskets and fixed bayonets. They were each 
preceded by a forlorn hope of twenty men, the one commanded by 
Lieutenant Gibbon, and the other by Lieutenant Knox, whose duty 
it was to remove the abatis and other obstructions, in order to open 
a passage for the columns which followed close in the rear. 

Proper measures having been taken to secure every individual on 
the route, who could give intelligence of their approach, the Ameri- 
cans reached the marsh undiscovered. But unexpected difficulties 
having been experienced in surmounting this and other obstructions 
in the way, the assault did not commence until twenty minutes after 
twelve. Both columns then rushed forward, under a tremendous fire 
of musketry and grape shot. Surmounting every obstacle, they 
entered the works at the point of the bayonet, and without having 
discharged a single piece, obtained complete possession of the post. 

The humanity displayed by the conquerors was not less conspi- 
cuous, nor less honorable, than their courage. Not a single indivi- 
dual suffered after resistance had ceased. 

All the troops engaged in this perilous service manifested a degree 
of ardor and impetuosity, which proved them to be capable of the 
most difficult enterprises ; and all distinguished themselves whose 
situation enabled them to do so. Colonel Fleury was the first to 
enter the fort and strike the British standard. Major Posey mounted 
the works almost at the same instant, and was the first to give the 
watchword — " The fort's our own." Lieutenants Gibbon and Knox 
performed the service allotted to them, with a degree of intrepidity 
which could not be surpassed. Out of twenty men who constituted 
the party of the former, seventeen were killed or wounded. 

The loss sustained by the garrison was not considerable. The 
return made by Lieutenant-Colonel Johnson, represented their dead 
at only twenty, including one captain, and their wounded, at six offi- 
cers and sixty-eight privates. The return made by General Wayne, 
states their dead at sixty-three, including two officers. This differ 
ence may be accounted for, by supposing, that among those Colonel 



CAPTURE OF STONY POINT. 



141 



Johnson supposed to be missing, there were many killed. The pri- 
soners amounted to five hundred and forty-three, among whom were 
one lieutenant-colonel, four captains, and twenty subaltern officers. 
The military stores taken in the fort were also considerable. 

HE loss sustained by the assailants 
was by no means proportioned to 
the apparent danger of the enter- 
prise. The killed and wounded 
did not exceed one hundred men. 
Gen. Wayne himself, who marched 
at the head of Febiger's regiment, 
in the right column, received a 
slight wound in the head, which 
stunned him for a time, but did not 
compel him to leave the column. 
Being supported by his aids, he en- 
tered the fort with the regiment. 
Lieutenant-Colonel Hay was also 
among the wounded. 
The intrepidity, joined with humanity, its noblest companion, dis- 
played on that occasion by General Wayne and his brave followers, 
cannot be too highly esteemed nor too frequently commemorated. 




GENERAL ORDERS FOR THE ATTACK. 

The troops will march at — o'clock, and move by the right, making 
a halt at the creek, or run, on this side, next Clement's ; every officer 
and non-commissioned officer will remain with, and be answerable 
for, every man in his platoon ; no soldier to be permitted to quit his 
ranks on any pretext whatever, until a general halt is made, and then 
to be attended by one of the officers of the platoon. 

When the head of the troops arrive in the rear of the hill, Colonel 
Febiger will form his regiment into a solid column of a half platoon in 
front as fast as they come up. Colonel Meigs will form next in Co- 
lonel Febiger's rear, and Major Hull in the rear of Meigs, which will 
form the right column. 

Colonel Butler will form a column on the left of Febiger, and 
Major Murphy in his rear. Every officer and soldier will then fix a 
piece of white paper in the most conspicuous part of his hat or cap, 
as a mark to distinguish them from the enemy. 

At the word march, Colonel Fleury will take charge of one hun- 
dred and fifty determined and picked men, properly officered, with 
arms unloaded, placing their whole dependence on fixed bayonets, 
who will move about twenty paces in front of the right column, and 



142 WAYNE. 

enter the sally-port ; he is to detach an officer and twenty men a 
little in front, whose business will be to secure the sentries, and 
lemove the abattis and obstructions for the column to pass through. 
The column will follow close in the rear with shouldered muskets, 
led by Colonel Febiger and General Wayne, in person : — when the 
works are forced, and not before, the victorious troops as they enter 

will give the watchword with repeated and loud voices, and 

drive the enemy from their works and guns, which will favor the pass 
of the whole troops ; should the enemy refuse to surrender, or 
attempt to make their escape by water or otherwise, effectual means 
must be used to effect the former and prevent the latter. 

Colonel Butler will move by the route (2,) preceded by one hun- 
dred chosen men with fixed bayonets, properly officered, at the dis- 
tance of twenty yards in front of the column, which will follow under 
Colonel Butler, with shouldered muskets. These hundred will also 
detach a proper officer and twenty men a little in front to remove 
the obstructions ; as soon as they gain the works they will a] so 
give and continue the watchword, which will prevent confusion and 
mistake. 

If any soldier presume to take his musket from his shoulder, or to 
fire, or begin the battle until ordered by his proper officer, he shall 
be instantly put to death by the officer next him ; for the misconduct 
of one man is not to put the whole troops in danger or disorder, and 
he be suffered to pass with his life. 

After the troops begin to advance to the works, the strictest silence 
must be observed, and the closest attention paid to the commands 
of the officers. 

The general has the fullest confidence in the bravery and fortitude 
of the corps that he has the happiness to command — the distinguished 
honor conferred on every officer and soldier who has been drafted in 
this corps by his excellency General Washington, the credit of the 
states they respectively belong to, and their own reputations, will be 
such powerful motives for each man to distinguish himself, that the 
general cannot have the least doubt of a glorious victory ; and he 
hereby most solemnly engages to reward the first man that enters 
the works with five hundred dollars, and immediate promotion ; to 
the second four hundred dollars ; to the third three hundred dollars ; 
to the fourth two hundred dollars ; and to the fifth one hundred dol- 
lars ; and will represent the conduct of every officer and soldier who 
distinguishes himself in this action, in the most favorable point 
of view to his Excellency, whose greatest pleasure is in rewarding 
merit. 

But should there be any soldier so lost to every feeling of honor 



r 



CAPTURE OF STONY POINT. 



143 




General Wayne's celebrated charge on the British army. 

as to attempt to retreat one single foot, or skulk in the face of danger, 
the officer next to him is immediately to put him to death, that he 
may no longer disgrace the name of a soldier, or the corps or state 
he belongs to. 

As General Wayne is determined to share the danger of the night, 
so he wishes to participate in the glory of the day in common with 
his fellow-soldiers. 

Immediately after the surrenher of Stony-Point, General Wayne 
transmitted to the commander-in-chief, the following laconic letter : 

" Stoky-Point, July 16, 1779. 7 
" 2 o'clock, A. M. j 

" Dear General — The fort and garrison, with Col. Johnson, are 
ours ; our officers and men behaved like men determined to be free. 
" Yours, most sincerely, 

"Anthony Wayne. 
" General Washington." 

In the campaign of 1781, in which Lord Cornwallis and a Britisd 
army were obliged to surrender prisoners of war, he bore a con- 
spicuous part. His presence of mind never failed him in the most 
critical situations. Of this he gave an eminent example on the James 
river. Having been deceived, by some false information, into a 
belief that the British army had passed the river, leaving but the 



144 WAYNE. 

rear-guard behind, he hastened to attack the latter before it should 
also have effected its passage ; but on pushing through a morass and 
wood, instead of the rear-guard, he found the whole British army 
drawn up close to him. His situation did not admit of a moment's 
deliberation. Conceiving the boldest to be the safest measure, he 
immediately led his small detachment, not exceeding 800 men, to 
the charge, and after a short, but very smart and close firing, in 
which he lost 1 18 of his men, he succeeded in bringing off the rest 
under cover of the wood. Lord Cornwallis, suspecting the attack 
to be a feint, in order to draw him into an ambuscade, would not 
permit his troops to pursue. 

The enemy having made a considerable head in Georgia, Wayne 
was despatched by General Washington to take command of the 
forces in that state, and, after some sanguinary engagements, suc- 
ceeded in establishing security and order. For his services in that 
state, the legislature presented him with a valuable farm 

On the peace, which followed shortly after, he retired to private 
life : but in 1789, we find him a member of the Pennsylvania con- 
vention, and one of those in favor of the present federal constitution 
of the United States. 

In the year 1792, he was appointed to succeed General St. Clair, 
who had resigned the command of the army engaged against the 
Indians on our western frontier. Wayne formed an encampment at 
Pittsburgh, and such exemplary discipline was introduced among the 
new troops, that, on their advance into the Indian country, they 
appeared like veterans. 

The Indians had collected in great numbers, and it was necessary 
not only to rout them, but to occupy their country by a chain of 
posts, that should, for the future, check their predatory incursions. 
Pursuing this regular and systematic mode of advance, the autumn 
of 1793 found General Wayne with his army, at a post in the wilder- 
ness, called Greenville, about six miles in advance of Fort Jefferson, 
where he determined to encamp for the winter, in order to make the 
necessary arrangements for opening the campaign with effect early in 
the following spring. After fortifying his camp, he took possession 
of the ground on which the Americans had been defeated in 1791, 
which he fortified also, and called the work Fort Recovery. Here 
he piously collected, and, with the honors of war, interred the bones 
of the unfortunate although gallant victims of the 4th of November, 
1791. The situation of the army, menacing the Indian villages, 
effectually prevented any attack on the white settlements. The im- 
possibility of procuring the necessary supplies prevented the march 
of the troops till the summer. On the 8th of August, the army arrived 




General "Wayne defeating the Indians. 

at the junction of the rivers Au Glaize and Miami of the lakes, wher 
they erected works for the protection of the stores. Ahout thirty 
miles from this place the British had formed a post, in the vicinity 
of which the Indians had assembled their whole force. On the 1 5th 
the army again advanced down the Miami, and on the 18th*arrived 
at the rapids. On the following day they erected some works for 
the protection of the baggage. The situation of the enemy was re- 
connoitered, and they were found posted in a thick wood, in the rear 
of the British fort. On the 20th, the army advanced to the attack. 
The Miami covered the right flank, and on the left were the mounted 
volunteers, commanded by General Todd. After marching about five 
miles, Major Price, who led the advance, received so heavy a fire 
from the Indians, who were stationed behind the trees, that he was 
compelled to fall back. The enemy had occupied a wood in the front 
of the British fort, which, from the quantity of fallen timber, could 
not be entered by the horse. The legion was immediately ordered 
to advance with trailed arms, and rouse them from their covert ; the 
cavalry under Captain Campbell, were directed to pass between the 
Indians and the river, while the volunteers, led by General Scott, 
made a circuit to turn their flank. So rapid, however, was the charge 
of the legion, that before the rest of the army could get into action, 
the enemy were completely routed, and driven through the woods 
for more than two miles, and the troops halted within gun-shot of the 
British fort. All the Indians' houses and cornfields were destroyed, 
this decisive action, the whole loss of General Wayne's army, in 

10 



•> 



146 



WAYNE. 



killed and wounded, amounted only to one hundred and seven men. 
As hostilities continued on the part of the Indians, their whole coun- 
try was laid waste, and forts established, which effectually prevented 
their return. 

The success of this engagement destroyed the enemies' power ; 
and, in the following year, General Wayne concluded a definitive 
treaty of peace with them. 

A life of peril and glory was terminated in December, 1796. He 
had shielded his country from the murderous tomahawk of the savage. 
He had established her boundaries. He had forced her enemies to 
sue for her protection. He beheld her triumphant, rich in arts and 
potent in arms. What more could his patriotic spirit wish to see ! 
He died in a hut on Presque Isle, aged about fifty-one years, and was 
buried on the shore of Lake Erie. 

A few years since his bones were taken up by his son, Isaac 
Wayne, Esq., and entombed in his native county ; and by direction 
of the Pennsylvnia State Society of the Cincinnati, an elegant monu- 
ment was erected. It is constructed of white marble, of the most 
correct symmetry and beauty. 




Beaidence of General Wayne, Chester County, Pennsylvania. 




BRIGADIER GENERAL OTHO H. WILLIAMS. 




1 HIS gentleman was formed for eminence in any station. 
His talents were of a high order, and his attainments 
various and extensive. Possessing a person of uncom- 
mon symmetry, and peculiarly distinguished by the 
elegance of his manners he would have graced, alike, 
a court or a camp. 

Rich in that species of military science which is acquired by experi- 
ence, and a correct, systematic, and severe disciplinarian, General 
Greene confided to him the important trust of adjutant-general to 
the southern army. The services which, in this and other capacities, 
he rendered to that division of the American forces, in the course of 
their toilsome and perilous operations, were beyond all praise. 

He was born in the county of Prince George, in the year 1748, 
and received, during his youth, but a slender education. This he 
so much improved by subsequent study, that few men had a finer 
taste, or a more cultivated intellect. 

He commenced his military Career, as lieutenant of a rifle company, 
in 1775 ; and, in the course of the following year, was promoted to 
the rank of a major in a rifle regiment. 

147 



148 



OTHO H. WILLIAMS. 



In this corps he very honorably distinguished himself in the defence 
of Fort Washington, on York Island, when assaulted by Sir William 
Howe ; and, on the surrender of that post became a prisoner. 

Having suffered much by close confinement, during his captivity, 
he was exchanged for Major Ackland, after the capture of Burgoyne, 
and immediately rejoined the standard of his country. 

Being now promoted to the rank of colonel of a regiment of 
infantry, he was detached, under the Baron de Kalb, to the army of 
the south. 

General Gates having been appointed to the command of this 
division of the American forces, he was present with that officer, at 
his defeat before Camden ; and during the action manifested great 
valor and skill, in directing and leading the operations against the 
enemy, while resistance was practicable : and an equal degree of 
self-possession and address, in conducting the troops from the field, 
when compelled to retreat. 

But as an officer, his valor and skill in battle were among the 
lowest of his qualifications. His penetration and sagacity, united to 
a profound judgment, and a capacious mind, rendered him, in the 
cabinet, particularly valuable. 

Hence he was one of General Greene's favorite counsellors, during 
the whole of his southern campaigns. Nor did any thing ever occur, 
either through neglect or mistake, to impair the confidence thus 
reposed in him. In no inconsiderable degree, he was to Greene, 
what that officer had been to General Washington, his strongest hope 
in all emergencies, where great policy and address were required. 

This was clearly manifested by the post assigned to him by General 
Greene, during his celebrated retreat through North Carolina. 

In that great and memorable movement, on which the fate of the 
South was staked, to Williams was confided the command of the 
rear-guard, which was literally the shield and rampart of the army. 
Had he relaxed, but for a moment, in his vigilance and exertion, or 
been guilty of a single imprudent act, ruin must have ensued. 

Nor was his command much less momentous, when, recrossing the 
Dan, Greene again advanced on the enemy. Still in the post of 
danger and honor, he now, in the van of the army, commanded the 
same corps with which he had previously moved in the rear. 

A military friend, who knew him well, has given us the following 
summary of his character : 

" He possessed that range of mind, although self-educated, which 
entitled him to the highest military station, and was actuated by true 
courage, which can refuse as well as give, battle. Soaring far above 
the reach of vulgar praise, he singly aimed at promoting the common 



CHARACTKR OF GENERAL WILLIAMS. 



149 



weal, satisfied with the consciousness of doing right, and desiring 
only that share of applause which was justly his own. 

" There was a loftiness and liberality in his character which forbade 
resort to intrigue and hypocrisy in the accomplishment of his views, 
and rejected the contemptible practice of disparaging others to exalt 
himself. 

"In the field of battle he was self-possessed, intelligent, and ardent ; 
in camp, circumspect, attentive, and systematic ; in council, sincere, 
deep, and perspicuous. During the campaigns of General Greene, 
he was uniformly one of his few advisers, and held his unchanged 
confidence. Nor was he less esteemed by his brother officers, or 
less respected by his soldiery." 

Shortly before the close of the war, he was promoted to the rank 
of brigadier-general. He was afterwards collector of customs for 
Maryland ; and held that post till he died, at the age of forty-six 
years, July 16th, 1794. 




Costume of British Infantry officers, 1780. 




^^**«^ 



*/> 



MAJOR GENERAL BENEDICT ARNOLD. 



E rejoice, that in giving the live? 
of the, American generals, w 
have to record the name of bu 4 
one who was not true to his coun 
try's cause. 

Benedict Arnold, a major-gene 
ral in the American army, during 
the revolutionary war, and infa- 
mous for deserting the cause of 
his country, born in Norwich, 
Connecticut, Jan. 3, 1740, was 
early chosen captain of a volun- 
teer company in New Haven, 
Connecticut, where he lived. After hearing of the battle of Lexing- 
ton, he immediately marched, with his company, for the American 
head-quarters, and reached Cambridge, April 29, 1775. He im- 
mediately waited on the Massachusetts committee of safety, and 
informed them of the defenceless state of Ticonderoga. The com- 
mittee appointed him a colonel, and commissioned him to raise four 
hundred men, and to take that fortress. He proceeded directly to 
Vermont, and when he arrived at Castleton, was attended by one 
servant only. Here he joined Colonel Allen, and on the 10th of 
May, the fortress was taken. 

150 




SIEGE OF QUEBEC. 



151 



111 the fall of 1775, he was sent by the commander-in-chief to 
penetrate through the wilderness of the district of Maine, into 
Canada. On the 16th of September, he commenced his march, with 
about one thousand men, consisting of New England infantry, some 
volunteers, a company of artillery, and three companies of riflemen. 
One division was obliged to return, or it would have perished by 
hunger. After sustaining almost incredible hardships, he in six weeks 
arrived at Point Levi, opposite to Quebec. The appearance of an 
army emerging from the wilderness, threw the city into the greatest 
consternation. In this moment of surprise, Arnold might probably 
have become master of the place ; but the small craft and boats in 
the river were removed out of his reach. 

It seems that his approach was not altogether unexpected. He 
had imprudently, a number of days before, sent forward a letter to a 
friend, by an Indian, who betrayed him. A delay of several days, 
on account of the difficulty of passing the river, was inevitable ; and 
the critical moment was lost. 

On the 14th of November, he crossed the St. Lawrence in the 
night ; and ascending the precipice which Wolfe had climbed before 
him, formed his small corps on the height, near the memorable Plains 
of Abraham. With only about seven hundred men, one-third of 
whose muskets had been rendered useless in their march through the 
wilderness, success could not be expected. After parading some . 
days on the heights near the town, and sending two flags to summon 
the inhabitants, he retired to Point aux Trembles, twenty miles 
above Quebec, and there awaited the arrival of Montgomery, who 
joined him on the first of December. The city was immediately 
besieged, but the best measures had been taken for its defence. On 
the morning of the last day of the year, an assault was made on the 
one side of the city, by Montgomery, who was killed. At the same 
time, Colonel Arnold, at the head of about three hundred and fifty 
men, made a desperate attack on the opposite side. Advancing with 
the utmost intrepidity along the St. Charles, through a narrow path, 
exposed to an incessant fire of grape-shot and musketry as he 
approached the first barrier, he received a musket-ball in the leg, 
which shattered the bone ; and he was carried off to the camp. 
Though the attack was unsuccessful, the blockade of Quebec was 
continued till May, 1776 ; when the army, which was in no condition 
to risk an assault, was removed to a more defensible position. Arnold 
was compelled to relinquish one post after another, till the 18th of 
June, when he quitted Canada. After this period, he exhibited great 
bravery in the command of the American fleet on Lake Champlain. 

In August, 1777, he relieved Fort Schuyler, under the command 



152 



ARNOLD. 




Arnold at Bemis's Heights- ^ 

of Colonel Gansevoort, which was invested by Colonel St. Leger, 
with an army of from fifteen to eighteen hundred men. In the battle 
near Stillwater, September the 19th, he conducted himself with his 
usual intrepidity ; being engaged incessantly, for four hours. In the 
action of October the 7th, at Bemis's Heights, after the British had 
been driven into their lines, Arnold pressed forward, and, under a 
tremendous fire, assaulted their works from right to left. The 
intrenchments were at length forced, and with a few men he actually 
entered the works ; but his horse being killed, and he himself being 
badly wounded in the leg, he found it necessary to withdraw, and as 
it was now almost dark, to desist from the attack. 

Being rendered unfit for active service, in consequence of his 
wound, after the recovery of Philadelphia, he was appointed to the 
command of the American garrison. When he entered the city, he 
made the house of Governor PenrfJ the best house in the_city, his 
head-quarters. This he furnished in a very costly manner, and lived 
far beyond his income. He had wasted the plunder he had seized 
at Montreal, in his retreat from Canada ; and at Philadelphia, he was 
determined to make new acquisitions. He laid his hands on every 
thing in the city, which could be considered as the property of those 
who were unfriendly to the cause of his country. He was charged 



ARINOLDS EXTRAVAGANCE. 



153 



with oppression, extortion, and enormous charges upon the public, 
in his accounts ; and with applying the public money and property to 
his own private use. Such was his conduct, that he drew upon him- 
self the odium of the inhabitants, not only of the city, but of the 
province in general. He was engaged in trading speculations, and 
had shares in several privateers ; but was unsuccessful. 

From the judgment of the commissioners, who had been appointed 
to inspect his accounts, and who had rejected above half the amount 
of his demands, he appealed to Congress ; and they appointed a 
committee of their own body to examine and settle the business. 
The committee confirmed the report of the commissioners, and 
thought they had allowed him more than he had any right to expect 
or demand. By these disappointments he became irritated, and he 
gave full scope to his resentment. His invectives against Congress 
were not less violent, than those which he had before thrown out 
against the commissioners. He was, however, soon obliged to abide 
the judgment of a court-martial, upon the charges exhibited against 
him by the executive of Pennsylvania ; and he was subjected to the 
mortification of receiving a reprimand from Washington. His trial 
commenced in June, 1778, but such- were the delays occasioned by 
the movements of tlje army, that it was not concluded until the 26th 
day of January, 1779. — The sentence of a reprimand was approved 
by Congress, and was soon afterwards carried into execution. 

Such was the humiliation to which General Arnold was reduced, 
in consequence of yielding to the temptations of pride and vanity, 
and indulging himself in the pleasures of a sumptuous table and 
expensive equipage. 

From this time, probably, his proud spirit revolted from the cause 
of America. He turned his eyes to West Point as an ac T " .ition, 
which would give value to treason, while its loss would inflict a mor- 
tal wound on his former friends. He addressed himself to the dele- 
gation of New York, in which state his reputation was peculiarly 
high ; and a member of Congress from this state, recommended him 
to Washington for the service which he desired. But this request 
could not be immediately complied with. The same application 
to the commander-in-chief was made not Ion"- afterward throusrh 
General Schuyler. General Washington observed, that, as there 
was a prospect of an active campaign, he should be gratified with 
the aid of General Arnold in the field, but intimated at the same 
time, that he should receive the appointment requested if it should 
be more pleasing to him. 

Arnold, without discovering much solicitude, repaired to camp in 
the beginning of August, and renewed, in person, the solicitations 



154 



ARNOLD. 




Major Andre. 

winch had been before indirectly made. He was now offered the 
command of the left wing of the army, which was advancing against 
New York, but he declined it under the pretext, that in consequence 
of his wounds, he was unable to perform the active duties of the 
field. Without a suspicion of his patriotism, he was invested with 
the command of West Point. Previously to his soliciting this sta- 
tion, he had, in a letter to Colonel Robinson, signified his change of 
principles and his wish to restore himself to the favor of his prince, 
by some sighal proof of his repentance. This letter opened to him 
a correspondence with Sir Henry Clinton, the object of which was 
to concert the means of putting the important post, which he com- 
manded, into the possession of the British general. 

His plan, it is believed, was to have drawn the greater part of his 
army without the works, under the pretext of fighting the enemy in 
the defiles, and to have left unguarded a designated pass, through 
which the assailants might securely approach and surprise the for- 



ARNOLDS TREASON. 



155 



tress. His troops he intended to place, so that they would be com- 
pelled to surrender, or be cut in pieces. But just as his scheme was 
ripe for execution, the wise Disposer of events, who so often and so 
remarkably interposed in favor of the American cause, blasted his 
designs. 

Major Andre, adjutant-general of the British army, w r as selected 
as the person to whom the maturing of Arnold's treason, and the 
arrangements for its execution should be committed. A correspon- 
dence was, for some time, carried on between them under a mercan- 
tile disguise, and the feigned names of Gustavus and Anderson ; and 
at length, to facilitate their communications, the Vulture sloop of 
war moved up the North River, and took a station convenient for 
the purpose, but not so near as to excite suspicion. An interview 
was agreed on, and in the night of September the 21st, 1779, he 
was taken in a boat, which was despatched for the purpose, and car- 
ried to the beach without the posts of both armies, under a pass for 
John Anderson. He met General Arnold at the house of a Mr. 
Smith. While the conference was yet unfinished, daylight ap- 
proached ; and to avoid the danger of discovery, it was proposed 
that he should remain concealed till the succeeding night. He is 
understood to have refused to be carried within the American posts, 
but the promise made him by Arnold, to respect this objection, was 
not observed. He was carried within them contrary to his wishes 
and against his knowledge. He continued with Arnold the succeed- 
ing day, and when, on the following night, he proposed to return to 
the Vulture, the boatmen refused to carry him, because she had, 
during the day, shifted her station, in consequence of a gun having 
been moved to the shore and brought to bear upon her. This em- 
barrassing circumstance reduced him to the necessity of endeavoring 
to reach New York by land. Yielding with reluctance to the urgent 
representations of Arnold, he laid aside his regimentals, which he 
had hitherto worn under a surtout, and put on a plain suit of clothes, 
and receiving a pass from the American general authorizing him, 
under the feigned name of John Anderson, to proceed on the public 
service to the White Plains, or lower if he thought proper, he set out 
on his return. He had passed all the guards and posts on the road 
without suspicion, and was proceeding to New York, in perfect 
security, when, on the 23d of September, one of three militia men, 
who were employed with others in scouting parties between the lines 
of the two armies, springing suddenly from his covert into the road, 
seized the reins of his bridle and stopped his horse. Instead of pro- 
ducing his pass, Andre, with a want of self-possession which can be 
attributed only to a kind Providence, asked the man hastily where 



156 



ARNOLD. 




Capture of Uajor Andre. 

he belonged ; and being answered, " to below," replied immediately, 
" and so do I." He then declared himself to be a British officer, on 
urgent business, and begged that he might not be detained. The 
other two militia men coming up at this moment, he discovered his 
mistake, but it was too late to repair it. He offered a purse of gold 
and a valuable watch, to which he added the most tempting promises 
of ample reward and permanent provision from the government if 
they would permit him to escape, but his offers were rejected without 
hesitation. 

The militia men, whose names were John Paulding, David Williams, 
and Isaac Van Wert, proceeded to search him. They found concealed 
in his boots, exact returns, in Arnold's hand-writing, of the state of 
forces, ordnance, and defences at West Point, and its dependencies ; 
critical remarks on the works, and an estimate of the men ordinarily 
employed in them, with other interesting papers. Andre was carried 
before Lieutenant Colonel Jameson, the officer commanding the 
scouting parties on the lines, and, regardless of himself, and only 
anxious for the safety of Arnold, he still maintained the character 
which he had assumed, and requested Jameson to inform his com- 
manding officer that Anderson was taken. An express was accord- 
ingly despatched, and the traitor, thus becoming acquainted with his 
danger, escaped. 

Major Andre, after his detection, was permitted to send a message 
to Arnold, to give him notice of his danger, and the traitor found 
opportunity to escape on board the Vulture, on the 25th of Septem- 
ber, 1780, a few hours before the return of Washington, who had 



ARNOLDS TREASON. 



157 



been absent on a journey to Hartford, Connecticut. It is supposed, 
however, that he would not have escaped, had not an express to the 
commander-in-chief, with an account of the capture of Andre, missed 
him by taking a different road from the one which he travelled. 

Arnold, on the very day of his escape, wrote the following letter 
to Washington : 

Ox BOARD THE VuLTURE, "> 

September 25, 1780. j 

" Sir — The heart which is conscious of its own rectitude cannot 
attempt to palliate a step which the world may censure as wrong ; I 
have ever acted from a principle of love to my country, since the 
commencement of the present unhappy contest between Great Britian 
and the colonies ; the same principle of love to my country actuates 
my present conduct, however it may appear inconsistent to the world, 
who very seldom judge right of any man's actions. 

" I have no favor to ask for myself. I have too often experienced 
the ingratitude of my country to attempt it ; but from the known 
humanity of your Excellency, I am induced to ask your protection 
for Mrs. Arnold, from every insult or injury that the mistaken ven- 
geance of my country may expose her to. It ought to fall only on 
me ; she is as good and as innocent as an angel, and is incapable of 
doing wrong. I beg she may be permitted to return to her friends 
in Philadelphia, or to come to me, as she may choose ; from your 
Excellency I have no fears on her account, but she may suffer from 
the mistaken fury of the country. 

" I have to request that the enclosed letter may be delivered to 
Mrs. Arnold, and she permitted to write to me. 

" I have also to ask that my clothes and baggage, which are of 
little consequence, may be sent to me ; if required, their value shall 
be paid in money, 

" I have the honor to be, &c. 

" B. Arnold 
" His Excellency, General Washington. 

" N. B. In justice to the gentlemen of my family, Colonel Varick, 
and Major Franks, I think myself in honor bound to declare that 
they, as well as Joshua Smith, Esq., (who I know are suspected,) 
are totally ignorant of any transactions of mine, which they had 
reason to believe were injurious to the public." 

Mrs. Arnold was conveyed to her husband at New York, and his 
clothes and baggage, for which he had written, were transmitted 
to him 



158 



ARNOLD. 



" The following is a concise description of the figures exhibited and 
paraded through the streets of Philadelphia, two or three days after 
the affair: 

" A stage raised on the body of a cart, on which was an effigy of 
General Arnold sitting; this was dressed in regimentals, had tw r o 
faces, emblematical of his traitorous conduct, a mask in his left hand, 
and a letter in his right from Beelzebub, telling him that he had done 
all the mischief he could do, and now he must hang himself. 

At the back of the general was a figure of the devil, dressed in 
black robes, shaking a purse of money at the general's left ear, and 
in his right hand a pitchfork, ready to drive him into hell, as the 
reward due for the many crimes which his thirst of gold had made 
him commit. 

In the front of the stage, and before General Arnold, w r as placed 
a large lantern of transparent paper, with the consequences of his 
crimes thus delineated, ». e. on one part General Arnold on his knees 
before the devil, who is pulling him into the flames — a label from the 
general's mouth with these words. ' My dear sir, I have served you 
faithfully ;' to which the devil replies, ' And I'll reward you.' On 
another side, two figures hanging, inscribed, ' The Traitor's Reward,' 
and written underneath, ' The Adjutant-General of the British Army, 
and Joe Smith ; the first hanged as a spy, and the other as a traitor 
to his country.' And on the front of the lantern was written the 
following : 

'■'■Major General Benedict Arnold, late commander of the fort 
West Point. The crime of this man is high treason. 

He has deserted the important post, West Point, on Hudson's river, 
committed to his charge by his Excellency, the commander-in-chief, 
and is gone off to the enemy at New York. 

His design to have given up this fortress to our enemies has been 
discovered by the goodness of the Omniscient Creator, who has not 
only prevented him from carrying it into execution, but has thrown 
into our hands Andre, the adjutant-general of their army, who was 
detected in the infamous character of a spy. 

The treachery of the ungrateful general is held up to public view 
•for the exposition of infamy ; and to proclaim with joyful accla- 
mation, another instance of the interposition of a bounteous Provi- 
dence. 

The effigy of this ingrate is therefore hanged, (for want of his 
body,) as a traitor to his native country, and a betrayer of the laws 
of honor." 



ARNOLD S TREASON. 



161 



XZLZC 




Andre's Prison. 

The procession began about four o'clock, in the following order : 
Several gentlemen mounted on horseback. 
A line of continental officers. 
Sundry gentlemen in a line. 
A guard of the city infantry. 
Just before the cart, drums and fifes playing the 

Rogue s March. 
Guards on each side. 
The procession was attended with a numerous concourse of people, 
who, after expressing their abhorrence of the treason and the traitor, 
committed him to the flames, and left both the effigy and the original 
to sink into ashes and oblivion." 

" During the exertions which were made to rescue Andre from the 
destruction which threatened him, Arnold had the hardihood to 
interpose. He appealed to the humanity of the commander-in-chief, 
and then sought to intimidate him, by stating the situation of many 
of the principal characters of South Carolina, who had forfeited their 
lives, but had hitherto been spared through the clemency of the 
British general. This clemency, he said, could no longer, in justice, 
be extended to them, should Major Andre suffer. 

Arnold was made a brigadier-general in the British service ; which 
rank he preserved throughout the war. Yet he must have been held 
in contempt and detestation by the generous and honorable. It was 
impossible for men of this description, even when acting with him, 
to forget that he was a traitor, first the slave of his rage, then pur- 
chased with gold, and finally secured by the blood of one of the most 
accomplished officers in the British army. One would suppose that 

11 



162 ARNOLD. 

his mind could not have been much at ease ; but he had proceeded 
so far in vice, that perhaps his reflections gave him but little trouble. 
' I am mistaken,' says Washington, in a private letter, ' if, at this time, 
Arnold is undergoing the torments of a mental hell He wants feel- 
ing. From some traits of his character, which have lately come to 
my knowledge, he seems to have been so hackneyed in crime, so lost 
to all sense of honor and shame, that while his faculties still enable 
him to continue his sordid pursuits, there will be no time for remorse.' 

Arnold found it necessary to make some exertions to secure the 
attachment of his new friends. With the hope of alluring many of 
the discontented to his standard, he published an address to the 
inhabitants of America, in which he endeavored to justify his con- 
duct. He had encountered the dangers of the field, he said, from 
apprehension that the rights of his country were in danger. He had 
acquiesced in the declaration of independence, though he thought it 
precipitate. But the rejection of the overtures, made by Great 
Britain in 1778, and the French alliance, had opened his eyes to the 
ambitious views of those, who would sacrifice the happiness of their 
country to their own aggrandizement, and had made him a confirmed 
royalist. He artfully mingled assertions, that the principal members 
of Congress held the people in sovereign contempt. 

This was followed in about a fortnight by a proclamation, addressed 
' to the officers and soldiers of the continental army, who have the 
real interests of their country at heart, and who are determined to 
be no longer the tools and dupes of Congress or of France.' To 
induce the American officers and soldiers to desert the cause which 
they had embraced, he represented that the corps of cavalry and 
infantry, which he was authorized to raise, would be upon the same 
footing with the other troops in the British service ; that he should 
with pleasure advance those whose valor he had witnessed ; and that 
the private men who joined him should receive a bounty of three 
guineas each, besides payment, at the full value, for horses, arms, 
and accoutrements. His object w T as the peace, liberty, and safety 
of America. ' You are promised liberty,' he exclaims, ' but is there 
an individual in the enjoyment of it saving your oppressors ? Who 
among you dare to speak or write what he thinks against the tyranny 
which has robbed you of your property, imprisons your persons, 
drags you to the field of battle, and is daily deluging your country 
with blood ?' ' What,' he exclaims again, ' is America now but aland 
of widows, orphans, and beggars ? As to you, who have been sol- 
diers in the continental army, can you at this day want evidence, 
that the funds of your country are exhausted, or that the managers 
have applied them to their private uses ? In either case you surely 



ARNOLD S TREASON. 



163 



can no longer continue in their service with honor or advantage ? 
Yet you have hitherto been their supporters in that cruelty, which, 
with equal indifference to yours, as well as to the labor and blood of 
others, in devouring a country, that from the moment you quit their 
colors, will be redeemed from their tyranny.' 

These proclamations did not produce the effect designed, and in 
ali the hardships, sufferings, and irritations of the war, Arnold remains 
the solitary instance of an American officer, who abandoned the side 
first embraced in the contest, and turned his sword upon his former 
companions in arms. 

He was soon despatched by Sir Henry Clinton, to make a diversion 
in Virginia. With about seventeen hundred men he arrived in the 
Chesapeake, in January, 1781, and being supported by such a naval 
force as was suited to the nature of the service, he committed exten- 
sive ravages on the rivers, and along the unprotected coasts. It is 
said that, while on this expedition, Arnold inquired of an American 
captain whom he had taken prisoner, what the Americans would do 
with him if he should fall into their hands. The captain at first 
declined giving him an answer, but upon being repeatedly urged to 
it, he said, ' Why, sir, if I must answer your question, you must 
excuse my telling you the plain truth : if my countrymen should 
catch you, I believe they would first cut off that lame leg, which 
was wounded in the cause of freedom and virtue, and bury it with 
the honors of war, and afterwards hang the remainder of your body 
in gibbets.' The reader will recollect that the captain alluded to the 
wound Arnold received in one of his legs at the attack upon Quebec, 
in 1776." 

The return of General Arnold to New York from Virginia, did not 
fix him in a state of inactivity. He was sent on an enterprise against 
New London, with a sufficient land and marine force. — The embarka- 
tion having passed over from Long Island shore in the night, the 
troops were landed in two detachments on each side of the harbor, 
at ten o'clock in the morning of the 6th of September ; that on the 
Groton side being commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Eyre, and that 
on New London side by the general, who met no great trouble. 
Fort Trumbull and the redoubt, which were intended to cover the 
harbor and town, not being tenable, were evacuated as he approached, 
and the few men in them crossed the river to Fort Griswold, on Groton 
Hill. Arnold proceeded to the town without being otherwise opposed 
than by the scattered fire of small parties that had hastily collected. 
Orders were sent by the general to Eyre for attacking Fort Griswold, 
that so the possession of it might prevent the escape of the American 
shipping. The militia, to the amount of one hundred and fifty-seven, 



164 



ARNOLD. 



collected for its defence, but so hastily as not to be fully furnished 
with fire-arms and other weapons. As the assailants approached a 
firing- commenced, and the flag-staff was soon shot down, from 
whence the neighboring spectators inferred that the place had sur- 
rendered, till the continuance of the firing convinced them to the 
contrary. The garrison defended themselves with the greatest reso- 
lution and bravery ; Eyre was wounded near the works, and Major 
Montgomery was killed immediately after, so that the command 
devolved on Major Broomfield. The British at one time staggered ; 
but the fort being out of repair could not be maintained by a handful 
of men against so superior a number as that which assaulted it. After 
an action of about forty minutes, the resolution of the royal troops 
carried the place by the point of the bayonet. The Americans had 
not more than half a dozen killed before the enemy entered the fort, 
when a severe execution took place, though resistance ceased. The 
British officer inquired, on his entering the fort, who commanded. 
Colonel Ledyard answered — " I did, sir, but you do now ;" and pre- 
sented him his sword. The colonel was immediately run through 
and killed. The slain were seventy-three, the wounded between 
thirty and forty, and about forty were carried off prisoners. Soon 
after reducing the fort, the soldiers loaded a wagon with wounded, 
as said, by order of their officers, and set the wagon off from the top 
of the hill, which is long and very steep ; the wagon went a consider- 
able distance, with great force, till it was suddenly stopped by an 
apple-tree, which gave the faint and bleeding men so terrible a shock 
that part of them died instantly. About fifteen vessels, with the 
effects of the inhabitants, retreated up the river, notwithstanding the 
reduction of the fort, and four others remained in the harbor unhurt ; 
a number were burnt by the fire's communicating from the stores 
when in flames. Sixty dwelling-houses and eighty-four stores were 
burned, including those on both sides of the harbor and in New Lon- 
don. The burning of the town was intentional and not accidental. 
The loss that the Americans sustained in this destruction was very 
great, for there were large quantities of naval stores, of European 
goods, of East and West India commodities, and of provisions, in 
the several stores. The British had two commissioned officers and 
forty-six privates killed ; eight officers, (some of whom are since 
dead,) with one hundred and thirty-five non-commissioned and pri- 
vates wounded. 

From the conclusion of the war till his death, General Arnold 
resided chiefly in England. He died in Gloucester Place, London, 
June 14, 1801. His character presents little to be commended. His 
daring courage may excite admiration, but it was a courage without 



ARNOLD S CHARACTKR. 



165 



reflection and without principle. He fought bravely for his country, 
and he bled in her cause ; but his country owed him no returns of 
gratitude, for his subsequent conduct proved that he had no honest 
regard to her interests, but was governed by selfish considerations. 
His progress from self-indulgence to treason was easy and rapid. He 
was vain aad luxurious, and to gratify his giddy desires, he must 
resort to meanness, dishonesty, and extortion. These vices brought 
with them disgrace : and the contempt into which he fell awakened 
a spirit of revenge, and left him to the unrestrained influence of his 
cupidity and passion. Thus, from the high fame to which his bravery 
had elevated him, he descended into infamy. Thus, too, he furnished 
new evidence of the infatuation of the human mind, in attaching such 
value to the reputation of a soldier, which may be obtained while the 
heart is unsound, and every moral sentiment is entirely depraved. 



! 








MAJOR GENERAL ARTHUR ST. CLAIR. 





EN. ST. CLAIR was a soldier 
from his youth. At an early 
age, while the independent 
states were yet British colo- 
nies, he entered the royal American 
army, and was commissioned as an en- 
sign. He was actively engaged, during 
the French war, in the army of General 
Wolfe, and was in the battle carrying 
a pair of colors, in which that cele- 
brated commander was slain, on the 
Plains of Abraham. He was highly 
esteemed by the distinguished commanders under whom he served, 
as a young officer of merit, capable of obtaining a high grade of 
military reputation. 

After the peace of '63, he sold out and entered into trade, for 
which the generosity of his nature utterly disqualified him ; he, of 
course, soon became disgusted with a profitless pursuit, and having 
married, after several vicissitudes of fortune, he located himself in 
Ligonier valley, west of the Alleghany mountain, and near the 

ancient route from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. 
166 



ST. CLAIR AT QUEBEC. 



167 




John Hancock. 

In this situation the American revolution found him, surrounded 
by a rising family, in the enjoyment of ease and independence, with 
the fairest prospects of affluent fortune, the foundation of which had 
been already established by his intelligence, industry and enterprise. 

From this peaceful abode, these sweet domestic enjoyments, and 
the flattering prospects which accompanied them, he was drawn by 
the claims of a troubled country. A man known to have been a 
military officer, and distinguished for knowledge and integrity, could 
not, in those times be concealed even by his favorite mountains, and 
therefore, without application or expectation on his part, he received 
the commission of a colonel in the month of December, 1775, 
together with a letter from President Hancock, pressing him to 
repair immediately to Philadelphia. He obeyed the summons, and 
took leave not only of his wife and children, but in effect of his for- 
tune, to embark in the cause of liberty and the united colonies. In 
six weeks he completed the levy of a regiment of seven hundred and 
fifty men ; six companies of which marched in season to join our 
troops before Quebec ; he followed with the other four in May, and 
after the unlucky affair at Three Rivers, by his counsel to General 
Sullivan at Sorel, he saved the army we had in Canada. 

The active and persevering habits of St. Clair, and the military 
knowledge, as displayed by him during the Canadian campaign, 
brought him into high repute, and he was subsequently promoted to 
the rank of major-general. On all occasions he supported an honor- 



168 ARTHUR ST. CLAIR. 

able distinction, and shared largely in the confidence and friendship 
of the commander-in-chief. 

The misfortunes attending the early military operations of the 
northern campaign of 1777, did not fail to bring reproach upon the 
characters of those who conducted it. The loss of Ticonderoga and 
Fort Independence, and the subsequent retreat of General St. Clair, 
cast a gloom over the minds of patriotic men, and in their conse- 
quences gave rise to the malignant passions of the human heart, 
which were put in motion to depreciate the worth, impair the influ- 
ence, and destroy the usefulness of Generals Schuyler and St. Clair. 
It was proclaimed that they were traitors to their country, and acted 
in concert with the enemy ; and the ignorant and the credulous were 
led to believe that they had received an immense treasure in silver 
balls, fired by Burgoyne into St. Clair's camp, and by his order 
picked up and transmitted to Schuyler, at Fort George ! ! Extrava- 
gant as was this tale, it was implicitly believed. 

At the time of the evacuation of Ticonderoga by St. Clair, which 
so much exasperated the people, General Schuyler was absent upon 
a different duty, and was totally ignorant of the fact, though the 
commanding officer in that district. General St. Clair, in accordance 
with the opinion of a council of war, ordered the movement on his 
own responsibility, and thereby saved the state of New York from 
British domination, and his gallant army from capture. Stung with 
the injustice of a charge against General Schuyler, for an act for 
which he alone was responsible, he magnanimously wrote the follow- 
ing letter to the Hon. John Jay, on the subject : — 

"Moses' Ciieek,7 
July 25, 1775. 5 

" Sir — General Schuyler was good enough to read to me a part 
of a letter he received last night from you. I cannot recollect that 
any of my officers ever asked my reasons for leaving Ticonderoga : 
but as I have found the measure much decried, I have often expressed 
myself in this manner : — ' That as to myself I was perfectly easy ; 
I was conscious of the uprightness and propriety of my conduct, and 
despised the vague censure of an uninformed populace ;' but had no 
allusion to an order from General Schuyler for my justification, 
because no such order existed. 

" The calumny thrown on General Schuyler, on account of that 
matter, has given me great uneasiness. I assure you, sir, there never 
was any thing more cruel and unjust ; for he knew nothing of the 
matter until it was over, more than you did at Kingston. It was 
done in consequence of a consultation with the other general officers, 
without the possibility of General Schuyler's concurrence ; and had 



ST. CLAIR S LETTER TO JAY. 



169 



the opinion of that council been contrary to what it was, it would 
nevertheless have taken place, because I knew it to be impossible to 
defend the post with our numbers. 

" In my letter to Congress from Fort Edward, in which I gave 
them an account of the retreat, is this paragraph : — ' It was my origi- 
nal design to retreat to this place, that I might be betwixt General 
Burgoyne and the inhabitants, and that the militia might have some- 
thing in this quarter to collect to. It is now effected, and the militia 
are coming in, so that I have the most sanguine hopes that the pro- 
gress of the enemy will be checked, and I may have the satisfaction 
to experience, that although I have lost a post, I have eventually 
saved a state.' 

" Whether my conjecture is right, or not, is uncertain ; but had 
our army been made prisoners, which it certainly would have been, 
the state of New York would have been much more exposed at 
present. 

" I proposed to General Schuyler, on my arrival at Fort Edward, 
to have sent a note to the printer, to assure the people he had no 
part in abandoning what they considered their strong-holds ; he 
thought it was not so proper at that time, but it is no more than what 
I owe to truth and to him, to declare, that he was totally unacquainted 
with the matter ; and I should be very glad that this letter, or any 
part of it you may think proper to communicate, may convince the 
unbelieving. Simple unbelief is easily and soon convinced, but when 
malice or envy occasions it, it is needless to attempt conviction. 
" I am, sir, your very humble and ob't. serv't. 

" Arthur St. Clair. 
" Hon. John Jay." 

Congress, yielding to personal prejudices and the popular outcry, 
produced by the evacuation of that post, they passed the following 
resolutions : — 

" Resolved, That an inquiry be made into the reasons of the evacua- 
tion of Ticonderoga and Mount Independence, and into the conduct 
of the general officers who were in the northern department at the 
time of the evacuation. 

" Resolved, That Major General St Clair, who commanded at 
Ticonderoga and Mount Independence, forthwith repair to head- 
quarters." 

The conduct of Congress towards this respectable, able, and faith- 
ful servant of the republic, was considered altogether unwarrantable, 
and, in the result, drew great and deserved odium on its authors. 

After holding St. Clair in cruel suspense for more than a year, he 



170 ARTHUR ST. CLAIR. 

was permitted to appear before a general court martial, which passed 
the following sentence of acquittal :— 

'Quaker Hill,") 
Sept. 29, 1778. $ 

" The court having duly considered the charges against Major- 
General St. Clair, and the evidence, are unanimously of opinion, that 
he is not guilty of either of the charges preferred against him, and 
do unanimously acquit him of all and every of them, with the highest 
honour. 

B. Lincoln, Maj. Gen. and Prest." 

From this time, General St. Clair continued in the service of his 
country until the close of the war. Soon after the establishment of 
the national government. General St. Clair was appointed Governor 
of the North West Territory. But he did not long enjoy the calm 
and quiet of civil life. The repeated successes of the Indians, on the 
western frontier, had emboldened them to repeat and extend their 
incursions to an alarming degree. 

The frontiers were in a most deplorable situation. For their 
relief, Congress sanctioned the raising of an additional regiment ; 
and the President was authorized to cause a body of two thousand 
men, under the denomination of levies, to be raised for six months, 
and to appoint a major-general, and a brigadier-general, to continue 
in command as long as he should think their services necessary. 
St. Clair, who was then governor of the territory north-west of the 
Ohio, and, as such, officially the negotiator with the adjacent Indians, 
was appointed commander-in-chief of this new military establishment. 
Though every exertion was made to recruit and forward the troops, 
they were not assembled in the neighborhood of Fort Washington, 
until the month of September ; nor was the establishment then 
completed. 

The object of the expedition was to destroy the Indian villages on 
the Miami ; to expel the savages from that country, and to. connect 
it with the Ohio by a chain of posts. The regulars, proceeding 
northwardly from the Ohio, established, at proper intervals, two forts, 
one named Hamilton, and the other Jefferson, as places of deposit 
and security. These were garrisoned with a small force ; and the 
main body of the army, about two thousand men, advanced towards 
the Indian settlements. As they approached the enemy, about sixty 
militia men deserted in a body. To prevent the mischiefs likely to 
result from so bad an example, Major Hamtrack was detached, with 
the first regiment, to pursue the deserters. The army was reduced 
by this detachment, to about fourteen hundred effective men ; but, 
nevertheless, proceeded on their march, and encamped on elevated 



BATTLE WITH LITTLE TURTLE. 



171 




Little Turtle. 

ground, about fifteen miles south of the Miami. The Indians, led by 
their chief, Little Turtle, commenced an attack on the militia in 
front. These instantly fled in disorder, and rushing into the camp, 
occasioned confusion among the regulars. The officers of the latter 
exerted themselves to restore order, but with very inconsiderable 
success. The Indians improved the advantage they had gained. 
They were seldom seen, but in the act of springing from one cover 
to another ; for they fired from the ground, or under shelter of the 
woods. Advancing in this manner, close to the lines of their adver- 
saries, and almost to the mouth of their field-pieces, they continued 
the contest with great firmness and intrepidity. 

General St. Clair, though suffering under a painful disease, and 
unable to mount or dismount a horse without assistance, delivered his 
orders with judgment and perfect self-possession. The troops had 
not been in service long enough to acquire discipline, and the want 
of it increased the difficulty of reducing them to order after they had 
been broken. The officers, in their zeal to change the face of affairs, 
exposed themselves to imminent danger, and fell in great numbers. 
Attempts were made to retrieve the fortune of the day by the use of 
the bayonet. Colonel Darke made a successful charge on a part of 
the enemy, and drove them four hundred yards ; but they soon rallied. 
In the mean time, General Butler was mortally wounded. Almost 
all the artillerists were killed, and their guns seized by the enemy. 
Colonel Darke again charged with the bayonet, and the artillery was 



172 



ARTHUR ST. CLAIR. 




recovered. While the Indians were driven back in one point, they 
kept up their fire from every other, with fatal effect. Several corps 
charged the Indians with partial success ; but no general impressions 
were made upon them. 

save the remnant of his army, was all 
that could be done by St. Clair. After 
some hours of sharp fighting, a retreat 
took place. The Indians pursued, for 
about four miles, when their avidity for 
plunder called them back to the camp to 
share the spoil. The vanquished troops 
fled. about thirty miles, to Fort Jefferson. 
There they met Major Hamtrack, with 
the first regiment ; but this additional 
force would not warrant an attempt to 
turn about and face the victors. The wounded were left there, and 
the army retreated to Fort Washington. 

The loss in this defeat was great ; and particularly so among the 
officers. Thirty-eight of these were killed on the field ; and five 
hundred and ninety-three non-commissioned officers and privates were 
slain or missing. Twenty-one commissioned officers and upwards 
of one hundred privates were wounded. Among the dead was the 
gallant General Butler, who had repeatedly distinguished himself in 
the war of the revolution. Several other brave officers, who had 
successfully fought for the independence of their country, fell on this 
fatal day. Among the wounded, were Lieutenant-Colonels Gibson 
and Darke, Major Butler, and Adjutant Sargent, officers of distin- 
guished merit. Neither the number of Indians engaged, nor their 
loss could be exactly ascertained. The former was supposed to be 
from one thousand to fifteen hundred, and the latter far short of what 
was sustained by St. Clair's army. 

Shortly after this unfortunate expedition, General St. Clair resigned 
his commission in the army, and retired into private life, and thus 
remained until the close of his life, August 31st, 1818. 





MAJOR GENERAL JOHN SULLIVAN. 




iENERAL SULLIVAN was a native of New Hamp- 
shire, where he resided before the revolution, and 
attained to a high degree of eminence in the profes- 
sion of law. He was a member of the first Congress 
in 1774, but on the commencement of hostilities, 
preferring a military commission, he relinquished the fairest 
i prospect of fortune and fame, and appeared among the most 
ardent patriots, and intrepid warriors. 

In 1775, he was appointed a brigadier-general, and imme- 
diately joined the army at Cambridge, and soon after obtained 
the command on Winter Hill. The next year he was ordered to 
Canada, and on the death of Gen. Thomas the command of the army 
devolved on him. The situation of the army in that quarter was inex- 
pressibly distressing; destitute of clothing, dispirited by defeat and 
constant fatigue, and a large proportion of the troops sick with the 
small-pox. By his great exertions and judicious management he 
meliorated the condition of the army, and obtained general applause. 
On his retiring from that command, July 12th, 1776, the field officers 
thus addressed him : — " It is to you, sir, the public are indebted for 
the preservation of their property in Canada. It is to you we owe 
our safety thus far. Your humanity will call forth the silent tear, 

173 



174 



JOHN SULLIVAN. 



and the grateful ejaculation of the sick. Your universal impartiality 
will force the applause of the wearied soldier." 

In August, 1776, he was promoted to the rank of major-general, 
and soon after was, with Major-General Lord Stirling, captured by 
the British in the battle on Long Island. General Sullivan being 
paroled, was sent by General Howe with a message to Congress, 
after which he returned to New York. In September he was 
exchanged for Major-General Prescott. We next find him in com- 
mand of the right division of our troops, in the famous battle at 
Trenton, and he acquitted himself honorably on that ever memorable 
day. 

In August^l777, without the authority of Congress or the com- 
mander-in-chief, he planned and executed an expedition against the 
enemy on Staten Island. Though the enterprise was conducted with 
prudence and success in part, it w T as said by some to have been less 
brilliant than might have been expected under his favorable circum- 
stances ; and as that act was deemed a bold assumption of responsi- 
bility, and reports to his prejudice being in circulation, a court of 
inquiry was ordered to investigate his conduct. The result was an 
honorable acquittal, and Congress resolved that the result so honor- 
able to General Sullivan is highly pleasing to Congress, and that the 
opinion of the court be published, in justification of that injured 
officer. 

In the battles of Brandywine and Germantown, in the autumn of 
1777, General Sullivan commanded a division, and in the latter con- 
flict his two aids were killed, and his own conduct was so conspicu- 
ously brave, that General Washington, in his letter to Congress 
concludes with encomiums on the gallantry of General Sullivan, and 
the whole right wing of the army, who acted immediately under the 
eye of his Excellency. 

In August, 1778, General Sullivan was sole commander of an 
expedition to the island of Newport, in co-operation with the French 
fleet under the Count D'Estaing. The Marquis de Lafayette and 
General Greene volunteered their services on the occasion. The 
object of the expedition was defeated, in consequence of the French 
fleet being driven off" by a violent storm. By this unfortunate event 
the enemy were encouraged to engage our army in battle, in which 
they suffered a repulse, and General Sullivan finally effected a safe 
retreat to the main. This retreat, so ably executed, without confusion, 
or the loss of baggage, or stores, increased the military reputation of 
General Sullivan, and redounds to his honor as a skilful commander. 

The bloody tragedy acted at Wyoming in 1778, had determined 
the commander-in-chief, in 1779, to employ a large detachment 






EXPEDITION TO WYOMING. 



175 




Massacre at Wyoming. 

from the continental army to penetrate into the neart of the Indian 
country, to chastise the hostile tribes and their white associates and 
adherents, for their cruel aggressions on the defenceless inhabitants. 
The command of this expedition was committed to Major-Genera] 
Sullivan, with express orders to destroy their settlements, to ruin 
their crops, and make such thorough devastations, as to render the 
country entirely uninhabitable for the present, and thus to compel 
the savages to remove to a greater distance from our frontiers. 

General Sullivan had under his command several brigadiers, and 
a well chosen army, to which were attached a number of friendly 
Indian warriors. With this force he penetrated about ninety miles 
through a horrid swampy wilderness and barren mountainous deserts, 
to Wyoming, on the Susquehanna river, thence by water to Tioga, 
and possessed himself of numerous towns and villages of the 
savages. 

During this hazardous expedition, General Sullivan and his army 
encountered the most complicated obstacles, requiring the greatest 
fortitude and perseverance to surmount. He explored an extensive 
tract of country, and strictly executed the severe, but necessary 
orders he had received. A considerable number of Indians were 
slain, some were captured, their habitations were burnt and their 
plantations of corn and vegetables laid waste in the most effectual 
manner. Eighteen villages, a number of detached buildings, one 
hundred and sixty thousand bushels of corn, and those fruits and 
vegetables which conduce to the comfort and subsistence of man, 



176 JOHN SULLIVAN. 

were utterly destroyed. Five weeks were unremittingly employed 
in this work of devastation. • 

On his return from the expedition, he and his army received the 
approbation of Congress. It is remarked on this expedition, by the 
translator of M. Chastelleux's Travels, an Englishman, then resident 
in the United States, that the instructions given by General Sullivan 
to his officers, the order of march he prescribed to his troops, and 
the discipline he had the ability to maintain, would have done honor 
to the most experienced ancient or modern generals. 

At the close of the campaign of 1779, General Sullivan, in con- 
sequence of impaired health, resigned his commission in the army. 
Congress, in accepting his resignation, passed a resolve, thanking 
him for his past services. His military talents and bold spirit of 
enterprise were universally acknowledged. He was fond of display, 
and his personal appearance and dignified deportment commanded 
respect. After his resignation he resumed his professional pursuits 
at the bar, and was much distinguished as a statesman, politician, 
and patriot. He acquired very considerable proficiency in general 
literature, and an extensive knowledge of men and the world. He 
received from Harvard university a degree of Master of Arts, and 
from the university of Dartmouth a degree of Doctor of Laws. He 
was one of the convention who formed the state constitution for New 
Hampshire, was chosen into the first council, and was afterward 
elected chief magistrate in that state, and held the office for three 
years. In September, 1789, he was appointed judge of the district 
court for the district of New Hampshire, and continued in the office 
till his death, in 1795. 





MAJOR GENERAL THOMAS SUMPTER. 




'ISTORY records the name of no truer 
patriot than Major General Thomas 
Sumpter. He was a native of Vir- 
ginia. Early in life he came to South 
Carolina, and settled in the upper coun- 
try, which at that time was much 
harassed by the hostility of the Indians. 
It would seem that he then commenced 
his career of valor and usefulness ; for 
we find that at the close of the Cherokee 
war, he accompanied Oconostotah, or ' the Emperor,' to England ; 
it being common at that time to induce the Indian Chiefs to visit the 
mother country, for the purpose of confirming "their friendship to the 
colonists. On returning with Oconostotah to his home, in 1763, 
General, then Mr. Sumpter, found, among the Indians, one Baron 
des Johnes, a French Canadian, who spoke seven of the Indian lan- 
guages, and whom he suspected of being an incendiary, sent to ex- 
cite the tribes to hostility against their white neighbors. Sumpter, 
with his characteristic resolution, arrested this individual, taking him 
single-handed, in spite of the opposition of the Indians, and, at much 



12 



177 



178 



THOMAS SUMPTER. 




personal risk, carrying him prisoner to Fort Prince George, on the 
Kehowee. Des Johnes was afterwards sent to Charleston, where he 
was examined, and though his guilt was not positively proved, it was 
deemed expedient to send him to England. 

From Gen. Sumpter's letter to the State Rights Association, in 
February last, we learn that he was in Charleston during the high 
excitement preceding the war of the Revolution, probably in 1774 
and 1775, a time to which the letter reverts with great satisfaction, 
as the period when he enjoyed, with the old whig party of Carolina, 
an interchange of the same sentiments which animate the nullifiers 
of the present day. 

We next meet with the name of Sumpter in 1780. He had been 
previously a colonel of one of the continental regiments, and when 
in that year the British had overrun the state, he would not remain 
to submit, but retired with other determined patriots into North 
Carolina. During his absence his house was burned, and his family 
turned out of doors by the British. The little band of exiles in 
North Carolina chose him their leader, and at their head he returned 
to face the victorious enemy. When this gallant incursion was made, 
the people of the state had for the most part abandoned the idea of 
resistance, and military operations had been suspended for nearly 
two months. His followers were in a great measure unfurnished 
with food, clothing and ammunition. Farming utensils were worked 
up by common blacksmiths to supply them with arms. Household 
pewter was melted into bullets ; and they sometimes engaged with 



HIS SUCCESS IN THE SOUTH. 



179 



not three rounds to a man. With a volunteer force thus equipped, 
he commenced hostilities, and broke the quiet of subjection into 
which Carolina seemed to be sinking. 

On the 12th July, 1780, he attacked a British detachment on, the 
Catawba, supported by a considerable force of tories — and totally 
routed and dispersed the whole force, killing Captain Hack, who 
commanded the British, and Colonel Ferguson, who commanded the 
tories. Animated by this success, the inhabitants flocked to his 
standard ; and being reinforced to the number of six hundred men, 
he made a spirited attack on the British post at Rocky Mount, but 
was repulsed. Marching immediately in quest of other detachments 
of the enemy, in eight days after, he attacked the post of the Hang- 
ing Rock, where he annihilated the Prince of Wales's regiment, and 
put to flight a large body of tories from North Carolina. When 
Sumpter's men went into this battle, not one of them had more than 
ten bullets, and towards the close of the fight, the arms and ammuni- 
tion of the fallen British and tories were used by the Americans. 

HILE the American army, under the 
unfortunate Gates, were approaching 
Camden, Colonel Sumpter was on the 
west bank of the Wateree, augmenting 
his forces, and indulging the hope of in- 
tercepting the. British on their way to 
Charleston, as their retreat or defeat was 
confidently expected. He here formed 
a plan for reducing a British redoubt at 
Wateree Ferry, and intercepting a convoy on the road from Charles- 
ton to Camden, in both of which objects he fully succeeded — and 
the news of his success reached Gates, while that officer was retreat- 
ing after his defeat. 

Hearing of the disaster at Camden, Sumpter retreated with his 
prisoners and spoils up the Wateree, to Fishing Creek, where he was 
overtaken by Tarleton on the 18th. The Americans had been four 
days without provision or sleep, and their videttes being exhausted, 
suffered them to be surprised ; the consequence was their total rout 
and dispersion. The loss which Sumpter sustained w T as, however, 
soon repaired, for in three days he rallied his troops, and was again 
at the head of a respectable force. 

At the head of his little band, augmented from time to time by 
reinforcements of volunteers, he kept the field unsupported ; while, 
for three months, there was no regular or continental army in the 
state. He shifted his position frequently in the vicinity of Broad, 
Enoree and Tiger rivers, maintaining a continual skirmishing with 





]g0 THOMAS SUMPTER. 

the enemy, beating up their quarters, cutting off their supplies, and 
harassing them by incessant incursions and alarms. 

N the 12th of November he was attacked at Broad 
River by a corps of British infantry and dragoons, 
under Major Wemys. He utterly defeated them 
and took their commander prisoner. On the 20th 
of November, he was attacked at Black Stocks, on 
Tiger river, by Tarleton, whom he repulsed after a 
severe and obstinate action. The loss of the Ameri- 
cans was trifling compared to that of the British ; but General Sump- 
ter received a wound in the shoulder, that for several months 
interrupted his gallant career. He was placed, we are told, in a 
raw bullock's hide, suspended between two horses, and thus carried 
by a guard of his men to the mountains. 

On the 13th of January, 1781, the old Congress adopted a reso- 
lution of thanks to General Sumpter for his eminent services. 

After the battles fought by Gen. Greene, and the departure ol 
Cornwallis for Virginia, General Sumpter, who had just recovered 
from his wound, collected another force, and early in February, 
1781, crossed the Congaree and destroyed the magazines of Fort 
Granby. On the advance of Lord Rawdon from Camden, Sumpter 
retreated — and immediately menaced another British post. Two 
days after, he defeated an escort of the enemy, and captured the 
wagons and stores which they were conveying from Charleston to 
Camden. He next, with two hundred and fifty horsemen, swam 
across the Santee, and advanced on Fort Watson, but retreated on 
the approach of Lord Rawdon to its relief. On his return to Black 
river he was attacked by Major Fraser with a very large force. 
Fraser lost twenty men and retreated. Having thus cheered the 
spirits of the people of the centre of the state, he retired to the bor- 
ders of North Carolina. In March, 1781, he raised three regiments 
of regulars. His previous enterprises had all been executed by 
militia. He subsequently took part in the military movements in the 
lower country, until the close of the war, and co-operating with 
Marion, struck many successful blows at the British, and was dis- 
tinguished in the several actions which were fought between Orange- 
burgh and Charleston. 

After the peace, General Sumpter was a distinguished member of 
the State Convention, in which he voted with those who opposed the 
adoption of the Federal Constitution, on the ground that the states 
were not sufficiently shielded by it against federal usurpation. He 
was afterwards selected one of the five members from that state in the 
House of Representatives of the first Congress under the Constitu- 



GENERAL SUMPTER S DEATH. 



181 



tion, and continued to represent South Carolina in the national coun- 
cils until 1808. He took an active part with the other members 
from this state, in denouncing a petition for the abolition of slavery, 
which was presented from the Quakers of Pennsylvania. 

For many years the veteran patriot lived in retirement amid the 
respect and affection of his neighbors. He retained his fine spirit 
unbroken to the end, and at the age of nearly a hundred years exhi- 
bited the cheerfulness and fire of youth. But a few weeks before 
his death, he vaulted into the saddle with the activity of a young 
man, and the faculties of the mind retained their vigor as well as 
those of the body. He died at his residence, South Mount, South 
Carolina, on the 1st of June, 1832, at the advanced age of ninety- 
seven. 





BKIGADIER GENERAL JOSEPH REED. 





'OSEPH REED was born at Tren 
ton, in New Jersey, in August, 
1741; but while yet an infant, 
was removed with his father's 
family to Philadelphia ; at the 
" Academy" in which city he received his 
joyish education. He was subsequently 
graduated at Princeton College ; read law 
under Richard Stockton, and after his ad- 
mission to the bar, in 1763, passed two years 
in London, in the completion of his professional studies. The rela- 
tions between the mother country and her offspring were already 
becoming involved ; the West India Bill and the Stamp Act had 
been added to the series of oppressions which gradually undermined 
the loyalty of America ; and the discontent was steadily growing 
up, which ten years later became rebellion. Reed's residence in 
England was eventful to him in more ways than one. He there 
formed an attachment to the lady whom he afterwards married, the 
daughter of Dennis de Berdt, at a later period agent of Massachu- 
retts ; and he there also made, in the person of her brother, an 
182 



CORRESPONDENCE WITH LORD DARTMOUTH. 



183 



acquaintance whose agency led to some of the most important trans- 
actions of his life. In 1770 he revisited England to bring home his 
bride, and then settled and resumed the practice of the law in Phila- 
delphia. 

In 1772, upon the resignation of Lord Hillsborough, the Earl of 
Dartmouth succeeded to the Colonial Office. Between him and the 
elder De Berdt, there had existed a friendship which, after his death, 
was continued to his son ; and, at the instance of the latter, an inti- 
mation was conveyed to Reed that a correspondence upon the con- 
dition and wants of the colonies, with one free from interested views, 
would be agreeable to the minister. Entertaining the good opinion, 
at that time prevalent, with regard to Lord Dartmouth, Reed under- 
took the delicate and responsible task, with a full sense of its diffi- 
culties, but with the conviction that an opportunity of conveying 
correct information to such a quarter was not to be lost. The curse 
of the country had been the falsehoods of its governors ; it remained 
to be seen if truth could yet be made to penetrate the ears of their 
masters. Of the correspondence which followed, we hazard nothing 
in saying that it is among the most valuable contributions to American 
history yet presented. Reed's position in life, and his intimacy with 
the leading characters, not only of Pennsylvania, but of other states, 
gave him access to sound intelligence. He belonged to the class 
who, resolutely determined to resist even unto rebellion every inva- 
sion of the constitutional rights of the provinces, entertained, as yet, 
no disposition to loosen their connection with Great Britain ; and 
had endeavored rather to procure retraction from the latter than to 
stimulate excitement in the former. 

From such a man Lord Dartmouth might expect to hear the truth. 
It was not Reed's fault if it was disregarded. The letters commence 
with the 22d December, 1773, and close with the 10th February, 
1775. Their tone, from the relations of the writer to the person 
addressed, as may be supposed, is guarded, yet it is impossible not 
to be struck with their force as well as their elegance. They paint, 
in language which should have been convincing, the spirit of the 
people, and the dangers of the course so blindly entered upon and 
so obstinately followed by the ministry. The last letter narrated the 
proceedings of the Provincial Convention of January, 1775. It 
closed with the ominous declaration that " this country will be de- 
luged in blood before it will submit to any other taxation than by 
their own legislature." A few weeks after and Lexington and Con- 
cord had sealed that assertion. From Lord Dartmouth himself there 
is but one letter. It is dated July 11th, 1774. Of the justice of 
the two causes, we can point to no better illustrations than that and 



"~1 



184 JOSEPH REED. 

Reed's of September 25th, in reply. This correspondence, added 
to Reed's connection with an English family, were the cause of many 
suspicions on the part of those who could not know its character. 
Its publication must dissipate all such ideas of the views he enter- 
tained at this time, and upon his sincerity of patriotism subsequently, 
we apprehend there can be no shadow of doubt. 

The insight of the politics of Pennsylvania during this period, 
furnished by the connecting narrative of the author, is particularly- 
valuable. The causes which prevented her, at the outset of the con- 
test with Great Britain, from taking the bold and decided stand in 
vindication of colonial rights, and frbm putting forth those strong 
assertions of the doctrines of liberty, upon which some of her sisters 
ventured, and the laborious efforts by which those influences were 
counteracted and destroyed, are pointed out with clearness and 
vigor. Towards the result, as it seems to us, no man contributed 
more than Reed. We pass to the commencement of his military life. 

On Washington's departure in June, 1775, to take charge of the 
army, Reed accompanied him to Boston, and while there was offered 
and accepted the post of aid to the commander-in-chief. To one of 
his friends, who remonstrated with him on the danger of the step, he 
made the characteristic reply, " I have no inclination to be hanged 
for half treason. When a subject draws his sword against his prince, 
he must cut his way through if he means afterwards to sit down in 
safety. I have taken too active a part in what may be called the 
civil part of opposition, to renounce without disgrace the public cause, 
when it seems to lead to danger, and have a most sovereign contempt 
for the man who can plan measures he has not spirit to execute." 
Tt was upon the urgent solicitation of Washington himself that he was 
induced to remain. The sacrifice, it may be imagined, was a great 
one to a young man with narrow means, just entering upon a lucrative 
practice, and leaving behind him a wife and two infant children, but 
it was made without a murmur, and the author proudly adds, as the 
due of a woman of the revolution, that "the young mother did her 
absent patriot full justice, by her fortitude and cheerful acquiescence 
in his thus following the path of honor and public duty." The rela- 
tions between the commander-in-chief and Reed, were henceforth of 
the most intimate nature. The expressions of Washington's esteem 
for his merits, and dependence on his assistance, are constant and 
warm. Reed was in fact the confidential secretary as well as the 
aid, and his pen was employed in the preparation of many of the most 
important despatches of this campaign. 

The siege of Boston is truly characterized by the author, as one 
of the most remarkable incidents of the war. Between the renown 



ELECTED TO THE ASSEMBLY. 185 




John Adams. 

of Bunker Hill, and the disasters of Long Island, few persons suffi 
ciently consider the generalship which there, in the face of a powerful 
and disciplined foe, organized, disciplined and disbanded one army, 
and raised and equipped another ; few know the difficulties under- 
gone from want of arms and necessaries, and the fatal systems of 
short terms, or appreciate how entirely it was by compulsion that 
Washington deserved the attributes. of Fabius. 

In October, Reed was forced to return to Philadelphia, where he 
remained during the ensuing winter, actively engaged, however, in 
political affairs. 

Reed, who was chairman of the Pennsylvania Committee of 
Safety, in January, 1776, was elected to the assembly, where he 
took a conspicuous part in the debates, and was especially instru- 
mental in procuring one great step towards the redress of grievances 
complained of by the people in enlarging the number of representa- 
tives. The winter, however, had passed over without any definite 
result, and Reed was contemplating a return to the army, when the 
news of the evacuation of Boston reached Philadelphia. 

The event gave a new impulse to the revolutionary party in Penn- 
sylvania, as elsewhere. On the first of May, the election for the 
additional members of assembly took place, which, except in the 



186 



JOSEPH REED. 




Independence Hall, Philadelphia. 

city, resulted in the triumph of the whigs. The fate of the old 
charter was sealed. 

On the 10th, John Adams brought forward in Congress his resolu- 
tion recommending the remodelling by the states of their govern- 
ments, and speedily followed it up by the report of the committee to 
whom the subject was referred. A meeting of the citizens of Phila- 
delphia immediately decided upon calling a convention, to take 
the sense of the people upon the continuance of the charter. The 
friends of the existing order of things struggled against the movement 
in vain. The assembly, which met again on the 20th, was left con- 
stantly without a quorum, until the 5th of June, when the Virginia 
resolutions instructing their delegates in Congress to vote for inde- 
pendence, were presented to it. On the 8th, a compromise committee, 
to whom they were referred, of which Reed was a member, reported, 
the result being, as was expected, only to recommend the rescinding 
the instructions to the Pennsylvania delegates of the year before. 
The effect was, however, produced. " Of the seven Pennsylvania 
delegates in Congress, on the vote of the 1st of July, in committee 
of the whole, three voted for independence and four against it ; and 
on the 4th, two of those who voted adversely to independence being 



JOINS THE ARMY. 



187 



absent, the vote of Pennsylvania was accidentally, and by a majority 
of one, given in its favor." Thus hardly was that declaration secured, 
which she afterwards so nobly sustained. 

The assembly was now a nullity. On the 23d September it met 
again ; on the 26th, twenty-three members only being present, it 
passed its last vote, denouncing the convention, and adjourned for- 
ever. Thus ended the charter government of Pennsylvania. The 
new constitution was proclaimed on the 28th of September, and on 
the 28th November, the government was organized by the meeting 
of the assembly. 

In June, Reed joined the army, then at New York. Early in that 
month Congress, at the instance of the commander-in-chief, had 
appointed him to the post of adjutant-general, vacant by the promo- 
tion of General Gates, and from thenceforward he was constantly in 
active service. 

On the 10th July, independence was proclaimed at camp, and a 
few days afterwards Lord Howe arrived, bringing his plan of recon- 
ciliation. Like every other retraction or overture of Great Britain, 
it came too late. The declaration had thrown an insurmountable 
obstacle in its way. That the terms themselves would have been 
declined, even if the point of form had not been raised, is certain 
enough — but that it would have led to results important to the rela- 
tions of the colonies, is not less so. Many of the most distinguished 
patriots had, up to the time of the declaration, considered the step 
premature ; many even preferred a continuance of the connection, 
could it be maintained with honor. New England was, in fact, the 
only section originally bent upon independence, and it had been her 
pertinacity, aided by that of a few southern spirits, who went before 
their constituents, which forced it on. 

Lord Howe, who had neglected no means of securing success to 
his mission, had furnished himself with an urgent recommendation 
from Mr. de Berdt, Reed's brother-in-law, which he transmitted to 
camp, and which Reed forthwith sent to Robert Morris, in Congress. 
Between him and Morris there seems to have been, as regarded 
national affairs, not only an entire harmony of friendship, but a per- 
fect unanimity of opinion. His letter to that statesman, and the 
answer, now for the first time published, strikingly illustrate the 
characters of the two, and the opinions of a great and influential 
division of the patriots. Our space will ill allow us to make extracts, 
but this one sentiment in Morris' letter, in unison as it was with his 
friend's views, cannot be too often repeated or imitated. " I cannot," 
he says, " depart from one point which first induced me to enter the 
public line. I mean an opinion that it is the duty of every individual 



188 



JOSKPH REED. 




Eobert Morris 

to act his part in whatever station his country may call him to, in 
times of difficulty, danger, and distress. Whilst I think this a duty, 
I must submit, although the councils of America have taken a differ- 
ent course from my judgment and wishes. I think that the individual 
who declines the service of his country because its councils are not 
conformable to his ideas, makes but a bad subject ; a good one will 
follow, if he cannot lead." 

The letter from Mr. de Berdt of course led to nothing ; but Reed 
was present at all the interviews with the officers sent by Lord Howe 
to the commander-in-chief. The mission, it need not be said, proved 
utterly abortive. Its preliminaries were embarrassed by the absurd 
refusal of Lord Howe to recognize Washington by his military title, 
and its powers extended no farther than the granting of pardons. It 
served, to a certain extent, perhaps, to satisfy individuals that their 
rights could only be secured by the sword ; on the other hand, it 
created in the camp a feeling of uncertainty, little favorable to dis- 
cipline. All doubts, however, as to negotiation, were soon dispelled. 

On the 22d of August, General Howe landed at Gravesend, and the 



FALL OF FORT WASHINGTON. 



189 



war recommenced, and in earnest. The second attempt at negotia- 
tion, made after the battle of Long Island, in which rank was waivedon 
both sides, was as futile. Mr. W. B. Reed's narrative of that battle, 
and the operations which preceded and followed it, contains much 
that is new and important.* We heartily join in his testimony to the 
conduct on that occasion of the Pennsylvania troops, who, in defence 
of their sister colony, conducted themselves with a gallantry worthy 
of veterans. Reed himself was present at the action of the 27th, 
and assisted in the withdrawal of the army on the night of the 29th. 
Upon this and the subsequent operations of the campaign, the evacua- 
tion of New York, the battle of White Plains, and the siege of Fort 
Washington, Reed's correspondence is full and interesting. Reed's 
admirable qualifications for his office were exhibited most strongly 
throughout. His energy and activity, his capacity for continuous 
labor, were remarkable, and in the restoration of the army, disor- 
ganized as it was by continued disasters, were all needed. 

The siege and fall of Fort Washington, gave rise to an occurrence 
which has been often misrepresented or misunderstood. Mr. W. B. 
Reed, in his Life and Correspondence of Joseph Reed, not only fully, 
but most honorably explains it, so far as Reed was concerned. The 
propriety of defending that position, isolated as it was, it is well 
known, has always been a subject of military controversy ; and 
Washington, in this instance, had suffered his own judgment to be 
overruled by the weight of contrary opinions. Reed was, at the 
time, with the main army, which, after the battle of Chatterton's 
Hill, had crossed the river to Fort Lee, and was deeply interested in 
the fate of that place, defended as it was almost entirely by Penn- 
sylvania troops. A few days after its fall he wrote to Lee, who had 
been left with a force to guard the highlands, expressing, but in 
respectful terms, his opinion of this indecision, and his wish for Lee's 
presence. In reply to this letter, Lee, apparently echoing Reed's 
language, gave to it an expression which it by no means justified. 

The letter reached camp after Reed's departure to Burlington, and 
was, as usual, opened by the commander-in-chief, under the idea that 
it related to the business of the department. Deeply wounded, not 
only at the expression of such opinions by one holding the high mili- 
tary reputation which Lee then did, but at the apparent want of 
candor in his intimate and confidential officer, Washington yet never 
lost his habitual dignity. He enclosed the letter to Reed, explaining 
the circumstances of his having opened it, as an " excuse for seeing 
the contents of a letter which neither inclination nor intuition would 
have prompted him to." 

• Life and Correspondence of Joseph Reed 



190 



JOSEPH REED. 




Battle Ground of Trenton. 



Reed, after an attempt to recover the original of his own, which, 
in consequence of Lee's capture by the British, proved futile, wrote 
to Washington, simply explaining the sentiments really contained in 
it, and expressing, in language as beautiful as appropriate, his regret 
at having, even unjustly, forfeited his regard. Washington's reply 
was such as became him. " He was hurt, not because he thought 
his judgment wronged by the expressions contained in it, but because 
the same sentiments were not communicated immediately to himself." 
It need not be said that their old friendship was restored. Not so 
Lee. At a later period, to gratify his resentment towards Washing- 
ton, he had the baseness, in a newspaper article, to allude to Reed's 
private opinion of the commander-in-chief, as contrary to what he 
publicly professed towards him, hinting at that letter as his authority. 
The attempt did him no good, nor harm to those to whom he 
intended it. 

The commencement of the ensuing winter was marked with gloom 
and despondency. Washington's army, reduced to a handful, were 
driven beyond the Raritan. Lee was a prisoner ; New Jersey was 
in the uncontrolled possession of the enemy, its legislature scattered 
to the winds ; Cornwallis with a strong and well appointed force 
rapidly pursuing the wreck of the continentals. It was in this dark 
hour that Pennsylvania almost of herself retrieved the fortunes of 
the war. Mifflin and Reed were successively despatched to Phila- 
delphia for aid, and it was forthcoming. " At no period of the war," 
says our author, " did any portion of the colonies exhibit a finer 
spirit than the majority of the citizens of Pennsylvania at this June- 



BATTLE OF PRINCETON. 



191 




ture. The militia was immediately and efficiently organized, and a 
laro-e body, well equipped, marched to join Washington at the upper 
passes of the Delaware." Offensive operations were at once deter- 
mined upon, and the battles of Trenton and of Princeton reversed 
the position of the armies. During the whole of the movements, 
Reed was exceedingly active ; at Princeton he bore a most conspicu- 
ous part. 

; IMMEDIATELY after these events, Washington urged upon 
Congress the appointment of an additional number of gene- 
rals, recommending Reed to the command of the horse "as 
a person in his opinion in everyway qualified." At the end 
of February, and again in April, elections were accordingly 
made, but no order was taken with reference to the separate 
command of the horse, and it was not until the 1 2th of May that 
Reed was elected a brigadier. On the 27th of that month they em- 
powered the general-in-chief to confer that command upon one of 
the generals already appointed, and he immediately offered it to 
Reed. He, justly offended at the coldness with which he had been 
treated, declined it, resolving however to join the army as a volun- 
teer as soon as active operations commenced. 

The cause of the neglect is ascribed by his biographer, and no 
doubt correctly, to the hostility to Washington and his friends which 
already had infected a portion of Congress, and which the next year 
so virulently displayed itself — added to which that Reed had been 
charged with injustice to the New England troops. Washington 
made no further offer to fill the situation, which remained vacant 
until the election of Pulaski. A letter from Reed to a member of 
Congress refers to the subject in a manner highly honorable to him : 
expressing the wish that no difficulties might arise in consequence of 
a difference of opinion between that body and Washington, as " any 
claims or pretensions which he might have, were they much greater, 
ought not to disturb the harmony which should exist between the 
civil and military powers ;" he ends by authorizing such use of his 
letter as would obviate difficulties. About the same time he was 
appointed chief justice of Pennsylvania, a post which had always 
been filled with the highest talent in the state. The offer was the 
more honorable as Reed had been a known opponent of many features 
of the constitution. He however declined it. 

The spring and summer of 1777 he passed with his family, his 
plans of life undetermined ; but on Sir William Howe's landing at 
the head of Elk in August, he again joined the army as a volunteer, 
attaching himself to the Pennsylvania troops under Armstrong. At 
the battle of Brandywine, and during the other operations following, 



192 JOSEPH REED. 

he rendered important services, and at Germantown distinguished 
himself particularly. 

The fall succeeding the capture of Philadelphia was spent in an 
obstinate defence of the Delaware, and in efforts to retake the city. 
Severely as its loss had fallen upon the country, the army had rallied 
under the blow, and offensive operations were constantly attempted. 
Reed, who seems to have been ever in favor of fighting, upon the 
final abandonment of the capital, turned his mind to other sources 
of annoyance. A letter to Washington of December 1st, urges an 
attempt on New York. About this time he was recalled to camp to 
assist in deciding upon winter quarters, and there took part in the 
last affair of the campaign, the skirmish at Chesnut Hill, where he 
had his horse shot under him. 

On the 17th December the army took up its quarters at Valley 
Forge. The history of that winter is familiar to every one. The 
shameful abandonment of the army by Congress to famine and cold 
reduced it to the verge of destruction. It was not until the middle 
of January that they were made to act, when a committee, of which 
Reed, who had been elected to that body, was one, were appointed 
with full powers to repair to camp and confer with the commander- 
in-chief. The result of their mission, tardily enough, however, was 
the reorganization of the quartermaster's department, to which 
Gen. Greene was appointed. Reed's services were considered so 
valuable that he was detained in camp, and did not retake his seat 
until the 6th April. In the beginning of June he again proceeded 
to camp under a resolution of Congress, referring to Washington, 
Dana and himself, the remodelling of the army, and to this duty he 
devoted himself. Intelligence from Europe now infused new life 
and hope into the nation. On the 18th June, the British evacuated 
Philadelphia, and on the 28th was fought at Monmouth a battle 
memorable as one of the turning points of the war. In that action 
Reed participated, having his horse again shot under him. 

In the summer of 1778, the second attempt at negotiation was 
made by Great Britain in the mission of Lord Carlisle, Mr. Eden, 
and Governor Johnstone. Of this business Mr. W. B. Reed remarks : 
" During the Revolution the diplomacy of the British ministry was, 
if possible, less dexterous and successful than their military policy. 
They were always a little too late. Lord Howe arrived a few days 
after the irrevocable measure of independence was adopted ; and 
Lord Carlisle and his colleagues did not sail from Great Britain till 
some weeks after the news of the French alliance was on its way to 
America, and Congress, by its resolution of the 22d April, 1778, 
had pledged themselves to the world against the very propositions 



REEDS ANSWER TO JOHNSTONE. 195 

offerer!. Lord North introduced his conciliatory propositions into 
Parliament on the 17th February, and the commissioners sailed on 
the 22d April. On the 2d of May Washington and his soldiers were 
rejoicing at the intelligence of the alliance with France." 

The propositions now brought went much farther than those of 
Lord Howe in the summer of 1776 ; they went, in fact, farther than 
the colonies, before the outset of hostilities, had ever asked, but they 
stopped short of the only terms now practicable, independence. The 
commissioners seem, however, this time to have concluded upon the 
use of new appliances in support of their terms. Instead of the 
armies of Howe, Johnstone furnished himself with gold. It proved 
even less available than the old argument. 

Mr. de Berdt had again furnished them with a recommendation to 
Reed ; and a few days after their arrival in Philadelphia, Johnstone 
transmitted it to him, accompanied by one from himself. This docu- 
ment possessed every requisite for a successful opening except one. 
It was addressed to the wrong person. In conclusion the writer 
said : " The man who can be instrumental in bringing us all to act 
in harmony, and to unite together the various powers which this con- 
test has drawn forth, will deserve more from the king and the people, 
from patriotism, humanity, friendship, and all the tender ties that are 
affected by the quarrel and the reconciliation than ever was yet be- 
stowed on human kind." The letter Reed at once showed to Wash- 
ington, and in a courteous but decided answer declined all personal 
interposition. That answer Johnstone never received ; had it reached 
him, it might have deterred him from his subsequent attempt. 

Not receiving a reply from Reed, the third commissioner endea- 
vored to approach Mi. Morris — with what success may readily be 
imagined. The open and direct business of the mission had been 
closed by the refusal of Congress to hold intercourse with them ; 
and Lord Carlisle, it seems, was speedily satisfied of its failure. 
Johnstone, however, thought it worth while to make one further and 
more direct overture, and that upon Reed. The agent selected for 
this purpose was Mrs. Ferguson, who, in her public narrative, verified 
by oath, subsequentlv detailed the whole transaction. The circum- 
stances are almost too well known to need repetition. Suffice it to 
say that the offer was " ten thousand guineas and the I est post in 
the government." It was by her communicated to Reed, whose in- 
stant and memorable answer was : — " My influence is but small, but 
were it as sr re at as Governor Johnstone would insinuate, the King 
of Great Britain has nothing within his gift that would tempt me." 

The letters and this offer were, by Messrs. Morris and Reed, com- 
municated to Congress ; and when made known produced much ex- 




196 JOSEPH REED. 

citement. A preamble and resolutions, reciting the overtures and 
denouncing their author, were adopted, and the commissioners re- 
turned from their bootless errand— Johnstone to abuse Congress, and 
Lord Carlisle to find in his family circle and the conversation of 
George Selwyn a relief from his vexation. 

N the middle of July, Reed resumed his seat 
in Congress, and remained, with occasional 
intervals of employment, at camp until the 
autumn. "During this period," says his 
biographer, " his services seem to have been un- 
ceasing. He was a member of every important 
committee ; and being the only speaking member 
from his state, seems to have taken a lead in every discussion." In 
October he was called to another and even more arduous service. 
The Pennsvlvania elections resulted in the choice of a majority of 
the friends of the state constitution in both branches of its govern- 
ment ; and Reed, who though originally opposed to and never approv- 
ing its provisions, had considered it his duty to support it when 
adopted, was elected to the council. On the 1st of December he 
was unanimously chosen president of that body, an office equivalent 
to that of governor of the state. 

In connection with this event in the life of his subject, Mr. W. B. 
Reed has given a most valuable sketch of the then condition of 
affairs in Philadelphia. Upon the recapture of the city, Arnold had 
unfortunately been appointed to the command. The consequences 
of his profligacy in its general misgovernment are already partially 
known : less so that his treasonable practices had commenced even 
at this time. Upon this subject, as well as of his general history, 
much that is new to us is afforded. It has been fashionable among 
some sentimentalists to represent that man as one, whose high spirit, 
wounded by injustice, drove him, almost in madness, to his last fatal 
step. If the investigations of Mr. Sparks have not already done so, 
we apprehend that the proofs contained in Mr. W. B. Reed's work 
will put an end to this twaddle. " The constitutional obliquity of 
Arnold's mind," observes the author, " with its gradual development 
of the worst of social crimes, treason to his country, is as much a 
part of the revolutionary picture as the complete virtue of Wash- 
ington." Arnold's official corruption had begun at Quebec ; it was 
continued down through every step of his subsequent career ; till, at 
Philadelphia, its unblushing openness provoked the council beyond 
endurance, and he was finally brought to court-martial. During the 
period of his government, or rather misgovernment, his attentions to 
the tories and his insolence to the whigs, his balls given to the wives 



REED PRESIDENT OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



197 



of refugees, and his influence used to procure the pardon of traitors, 
should have forewarned Congress of what was to be expected from 
him. To Reed was in a great measure due his exposure ; and upon 
him Arnold, one of whose first characteristics was his malignity, 
visited it without remorse. 

It was amidst these disorders, and the greatest exasperation of 
party, on the subject of the state constitution, that Reed, contrary 
alike to his wishes and his interest, relinquished his military career, 
and his post in Congress, and accepted the presidency of the execu- 
tive council. " The history of the next three years of his life,'' says 
his biographer, " dating from the time at which he relinquished his 
seat in Congress, is the history of Pennsylvania. Placed, as will 
presently be seen, by the suffrages of all parties, at a time when 
political opinion was at fever heat, at the head of the executive 
department of the state government, he threw into the discharge of 
this trust all his energies, and labored in the public cause with an 
intensity of devotion which it is difficult to describe, and which led 
to the utter prostration of his health and premature termination of 
his life. He became the centre of the party which supported the 
existing frame of government, and the accredited leader of the con- 
stitutional whigs." 

To the army generally his appointment gave great satisfaction. 
Washington's letter of congratulation was sincere and hearty. 
Greene and Wayne both joined in the expression of this feeling ; 
and we may add, that Reed's watchfulness and zeal for the welfare 
of the troops, at all times, deserved their regard. During the dark 
period which preceded the arrival of substantial assistance from 
France, when the utter explosion of the paper system, and the ex- 
haustion of credit, reduced the army for months to the verge of 
dissolution, Reed gave no peace or rest to the legislature till he 
forced from them what assistance he might. On more than one 
occasion, too, when movements of importance were at hand, as in 
the contemplated attempt upon New York, in this autumn, and again 
in August, 1780, he himself headed the levies of his state, and 
exchanged the toils of government only for the fatigues of camp. 

In the narrative of this part of his administration we find a succinct 
view of one great cause of the embarrassments which existed during 
the revolution — the gross errors prevalent on the subject of finance. 
In these respects the country was far behind its knowledge on matters 
of general legislation, and the middle states even far behind the 
eastern. Embargo and tender laws, commercial restrictions, and 
limitations of prices, were almost everywhere the means by which 
the legislatures essayed to financier through the war. Reed appears 



198 



JOSEPH REED. 




Specimen of Continental Bills. 

upon these points to have been far wiser than his generation. Speak- 
ing of the last class of acts, he says : " The commerce of mankind 
must be free, or almost all kinds of intercourse will cease. Regula- 
tion stagnates industry, and creates a universal discontent." Unfor- 
tunately, his opinions had, at first, but little weight with the assembly, 
which was thoroughly imbued with the popular fallacies, and infinite 
trouble arose from their legislation. Forestalling was the bugbear 
of the day. Its effects were bad enough, it is true, but the remedy 
was one which never cured lhat disease. The excitement in Phila- 
delphia upon these subjects at one time broke out into a riot, which, 
but for Reed's firmness, threatened the most dangerous results. It 
was not until 1781 that he finally, as it were, forced the assembly 
into a repeal of the tender laws, and thus gave the death blow to a 
currency which had been upheld contrary to all right, as it was con- 
trary to all sense. Among the important topics presented, in the 
beginning of Mr. Reed's administration, were the measure known as 
the Proprietary Bill, or " Divesting Act," which stripped the proprie- 
taries of the public domain, as the declaration of independence had 
the monarch of his paramount sovereignty ; the transfer of the 
College Charter, like the former one of a revolutionary character 
and necessity ; and the gradual abolition of slavery. All these he 
strenuously advocated and carried. 

Our space will allow us no opportunity of entering at large upon 
so intricate a field as his administration opens upon us. Reed held 
the station of supreme executive of the state until December, 1781, 
the constitutional limit of his office. To all who are familiar with 



CHARACTER OF GENERAL REED. 



199 



the history of the Revolution, its last years are known as those of its 
greatest trials. The first enthusiasm of conflict had passed away ; 
the slight resources of the new-born states had been exhausted. To 
them had succeeded poverty and ruin ; in some states lethargy ; in 
others dogged, stubborn resistance, the despair which yields not, but 
dies fighting. The situation of Pennsylvania was especially deplor- 
able. Cursed with an incompetent frame of government, and with 
factions which rendered even that more incapable ; bankrupt in her 
finances ; drained of her blood ; yet withal, the state upon which, 
from magnitude, central situation, and as the seat of the general 
Congress, her sisters looked for the greatest exertions, she staggered 
through the close of the war like a worn-out racer beneath the spur 
of its rider. A sterner one never forced panting steed or wearied 
nation through its course. 

The president possessed moral, in as eminent a degree as physical 
courage. Neither love of power nor popularity, the fear of losing 
influence or friends, stayed him in his path. His ambition — and few- 
men, we believe, were more ambitious — was not that of the dema- 
gogue or the office-hunter. He sought public station, not for itself 
or for its profits, but as a field of public service. His energy was 
intense, his activity unceasing, his capacity for labor as extraordinary 
as his love of it. His was an unyielding, impetuous and daring 
nature. He wielded the dangerous power which at times was 
entrusted to him without hesitation or fear, but he wielded it never 
for private gain or for personal emolument. 

EW persons have reaped for public service a larger 
reward of slander and of misunderstanding than did 
Reed. That he stirred up the enmity of Mifflin, that 
he earned the hatred of Arnold, of Conway, and of 
Lee, was hardly to be regretted. It was his misfor- 
tune that the falsehood sometimes outlived the credit 
of its fabricator, and found its way into the minds of purer men. It 
appears to us to have been however his fault, that a spirit of acerbity 
became engrafted upon his disposition, which often alienated friends, 
and which led him in turn, to do injustice to the motives or the cha- 
racters of others. In the latter part of his life in particular, this 
harshness, perhaps the effect of corroding care and disappointment, 
exhibits itself. His prejudices were strong even to bitterness, and 
he was most unguarded in his expression of them. But with these 
faults, Reed was still a great man, and did great service to his state 
and to his country. We should do injustice to many noble spirits of 
the Revolution, did we judge them by their personal friendships or 
enmities. Times of great danger often bind together men of dis- 




200 JOSEPH REED. 

similar characters. Times of long-continued suffering often too 
estrange men who respect each other. It was at least a consolation 
that Reed carried to his grave the confidence and affection of Wash- 
ington, of Greene, and of Anthony Wayne. 

The descendant, whose filial duty has given us t<he records of his 
ancestor's life, has discharged his part faithfully. The facts upon 
which Reed's enemies based their substantial accusations, he has 
stated, as it seems to us, without flinching ; he has also met them 
manfallv, and, as we think, with entire success. That, down to the 
breaking out of hostilities, Reed w^as desirous of a reconciliation with 
England, is admitted — few people, at least in the middle and southern 
states, were not. That he would have sacrificed one principle to 
effect that reconciliation, we have every evidence in contradiction. 
That he was not prepared for a declaration of independence when it 
took place, seems probable. He was not alone in the sentiment. 
So late as April 1st, 1776, Washington wrote him : " My countrymen, 
T know from their form of government and steady attachment hereto- 
fore to royalitv, will come reluctantly into the idea of independency." 
But that he would have retreated after that step, there is no such 
probability. The often recurred to charge of a disposition or willing- 
ness to intrigue with the enemy, we hold to be utterly and entirely 
false. The man who in the outset of the struggle refused the bribe 
which Johnstone offered to Reed, should not afterwards have been 
suspected. At the first blow struck, he went into the fight ; and he 
went through it without faltering or hesitation. He was not " to be 
hung for half treason." Calumny has been too often the lot of great 
men, and those of Pennsvlvania do not seem to us to have furnished 
exceptions. General Reed died on the 5th of March, 1785, in the 
forty-third year of his age.* 




■ American Review. 




BRIGADIER GENERAL ETHAN ALLEN. 

| HIS distinguished officer was born in Salisbury, 
Connecticut, from whence, while he was yet 
young, his parents emigrated to Vermont. By 
this circumstance, he was deprived of the ad- 
vantages of an early education. But, although 
he never felt its genial influence, nature had 
endowed him with strong powers of mind ; 
and when called to take the field, he showed 
himself an able leader, and an intrepid soldier. 
At the commencement of the disturbances 
in Vermont, about the year 1770, he took a 
most active part in favor of the Green Moun- 
tain Boys, as the settlers were then called, in 
opposition to the government of New York. 
Bold, enterprising, and ambitious, he undertook to direct the proceed- 
ings of the inhabitants, and wrote several pamphlets to display the 
supposed injustice, and oppressive designs of the New York proceed- 
ings. The uncultivated roughness of his own temper and manners, 
seems to have assisted him in giving a just description of the views 
and proceedings of speculating land-jobbers. His writings produced 
effects so hostile to the views of the state of New York, that an act 
of outlawry was passed against him, and five hundred guineas were 
offered for his apprehension. But his party was too numerous and 
faithful to permit him to be disturbed by any apprehensions for his 
safety. In all the struggles of the day he was successful, and proved 
a vajuable friend to those whose cause he had espoused. 

The news of the battle of Lexington determined Allen to engage 
on the side of his country, and inspired with the desire of demon- 
strating his attachment to liberty, by some bold exploit. While in 
this state of mind, a plan for taking Ticonderoga and Crown Point by 

201 



202 



ETHAN ALLEN. 



surprise, which was formed by several gentlemen in Connecticut, 
was communicated to him, and he readily engaged in the project. 
Receiving directions from the general assembly of Connecticut, to 
raise the Green Mountain Boys, and conduct the enterprise, he col- 
lected two hundred and thirty of the hardy settlers, and proceeded 
to Castleton. Here he was unexpectedly joined by Colonel Arnold, 
who had been commissioned by the Massachusetts committee to 
raise four hundred men, and effect the same object which was now 
about to be accomplished. They reached the lake opposite Ticon- 
deroga, on the evening of the 9th of May, 1775. With the utmost 
difficulty boats were procured, and eighty-three men were landed 
near the garrison. Arnold now wished to assume the command, to 
lead on the men, and swore that he would go in himself the first. 
Allen swore that he should not. The dispute beginning to run high, 
some of the gentlemen present interposed, and it was agreed that 
both should go in together, Allen on the right hand, and Arnold on 
the left. The following is Allen's own account of the affair : — 

■■■ — i HE first systematical and bloody attempt at 
Lexington, to enslave America, thoroughly 
electrified my mind, and fully determined 
me to take a part with my country. And 
while I was wishing for an opportunity to 
signalize myself in its behalf, directions 
were privately sent to me from the then 
colony, now state of Connecticut, to raise 
the Green Mountain Boys, and if possible with them to surprise and 
take the fortress of Ticonderoga. This enterprise I cheerfully under- 
took ; and after first guarding all the several passes that lead thither, 
to cut off all intelligence between the garrison and the country, made 
a forced march from Bennington, and arrived at the lake opposite 
Ticonderoga, on the evening of the 9th of May, 1775, with two 
hundred and thirty valiant Green Mountain Boys ; and it was with 
the utmost difficulty that I procured boats to cross the lake. How- 
ever, I landed eighty-three men near the garrison, and sent the boats 
back for the rear guard, commanded by Colonel Seth Warner ; but 
the day began to dawn, and I found myself necessitated to attack 
the fort, before the rear could cross the lake ; and as it was viewed 
hazardous, I harangued the officers and soldiers in the manner follow- 
ing : ' Friends and fellow-soldiers ; you have, for a number of years 
past, been a scourge and terror to arbitrary powers. Your valor has 
been famed abroad, and acknowledged, as appears by the advice and 
orders to me from the general assembly of Connecticut, to surprise 
and take the garrison now before us. I now propose to advance 




CAPTURE OF TICONDEROGA. 205 

before you, and in person conduct you through the wicket gate ; for 
we must this morning either quit our pretensions to valor, or possess 
ourselves of this fortress in a few minutes ; and inasmuch as it is a 
desperate attempt, which none but the bravest of men dare undertake, 
I do not urge it on any contrary to his will. You that will undertake 
voluntarily, poise your firelock.' 

The men being at this time drawn up in three ranks, each poised 
his firelock. I ordered them to face to the right ; and at the head 
of the centre file I marched them immediately to the wicket gate 
aforesaid, where I found a sentry posted, who instantly snapped, his 
fusee at me. I ran immediately towards him, and he retreated 
through the covered way into the parade within the garrison, gave a 
halloo, and ran under a bomb proof. My party who followed me 
into the fort, I formed on the parade in such a manner as to face the 
barracks, which faced each other. The garrison being asleep, ex- 
cept the sentries, we gave three huzzas, which greatly surprised 
them. One of the sentries made a pass at one of my officers with 
a charged bayonet, and slightly wounded him. My first thought was 
to kill him with my sword, but in an instant I altered the design and 
fury of the blow to a slight cut on the side of the head ; upon which 
he dropped his gun and asked quarters, which I readily granted him, 
and demanded the place where the commanding officer kept. He 
showed me a pair of stairs in the front of the garrison, which led up 
to a second story in said barracks, to which I immediately repaired, 
and ordered the commander, Captain Delaplace, to come forth in- 
stantly, or I would sacrifice the whole garrison : at which time the 
captain came immediately to the door, with his breeches in his hand, 
when I ordered him to deliver to me the fort instantly ; he asked me 
by what authority I demanded it. I answered him, ' In the name 
of the great Jehovah and the Continental Congress.' The authority 
of Congress being very little known at that time, he began to speak 
again, but I interrupted him, and with my drawn sword near his 
head, again demanded an immediate surrender of the garrison ; with 
which he then complied, and ordered his men to be forthwith paraded 
without arms, as he had given up the garrison. In the mean time, 
some of my officers had given orders, and in consequence thereof 
sundry of the barrack doors were beat down, and about one-third of 
the garrison imprisoned, which consisted of said commander, a lieu- 
tenant Feltham, a conductor of artillery, a gunner, two sergeants, 
and forty-four rank and file ; about one hundred pieces of cannon, 
one thirteen inch mortar, and a number of swivels. This surprise 
was carried into execution in the gray of the morning of the 10th 
of May, 1775. The sun seemed to rise that morning with a supe- 



206 ETHAN ALLEN. 

rior lustre ; and Ticonderoga and its dependencies smiled on its 
conquerors, who tossed about the flowing bowl, and wished success 
to Congress, and the liberty and freedom of America. Happy it 
was for me, at that time, that the future pages of the book of fate, 
which afterward unfolded a miserable scene of two years and eight 
months imprisonment, were hid from my view." 

This brilliant exploit secured to Allen a high reputation for in- 
trepid valor throughout the country. In the fall of 1775, he was 
sent twice into Canada to observe the dispositions of the people, and 
attach them if possible to the American cause. During one of these 
excursions, he made a rash and romantic attempt upon Montreal. 
He had been sent by General Montgomery with a guard of eighty 
men on a tour into the villages in the neighborhood. On his return, 
he was met by a Major Brown, who had been on the same business. 
It was agreed between them to make a descent upon the island of 
Montreal. Allen was to cross the river, and land with his party a 
little north of the city ; while Brown was to pass over a little to the 
south, with near two hundred men. Allen crossed the river in the 
night, as had been proposed, but by some means Brown and his party 
failed. Instead of returning, Allen, with great rashness, concluded to 
maintain his ground. General Carlton soon received intelligence of 
Allen's situation and the smallness of his numbers, and marched 
out .against him with about forty regulars and a considerable 
number of English, Canadians and Indians, amounting, in the 
whole, to some hundreds. Allen attempted to defend himself, but 
it was to no purpose. Being deserted by several of his men, and 
having fifteen killed, he, with thirty-eight of his men, were taken 
prisoners. 

He was now kept for some time in irons, and was treated with the 
most rigorous and unsparing cruelty. From his narrative it appears 
that the irons placed on him were uncommonly heavy, and so 
fastened, that he could not lie down, otherwise than on his back. A 
chest was his seat by day, and his bed by night. Soon after his 
capture, still loaded with irons, he was sent to England, being 
assured that the halter would be the reward of his rebellion when he 
arrived there. Finding that threats and menaces had no effect upon 
him, high command and a large tract of the conquered country was 
afterward offered him, on condition he would join the British. To 
the last he replied, " that he viewed their offer of conquered United 
States land, to be similar to that which the devil offered to Jesus 
Christ : to give him all the kingdoms of the world, if he would fall 
down and worship him, when, at the same time, the poor devil had 
not one foot of land upon earth." 




ETHAN ALLEN'S DEATH. 207 

FTER his arrival, about the middle of December, 
he was lodged, for a short time, in Pendennis 
Castle, near Falmouth. On the 8th of January, 
1776, he was put on board a frigate, and by a 
circuitous route again carried to Halifax. Here 
he remained closely confined in the jail from 
June to October, when he was removed to New 
York. During the passage to this place, Captain Burke, a daring 
prisoner, proposed to kill the British captain, and seize the frigate ; 
but Allen refused to engage in the plot, and was probably the means 
of saving the life of Captain Smith, who had treated him with kind- 
ness. He was kept at New York about a year and a half, sometimes 
imprisoned, and sometimes permitted to be on parole. While here 
he had an opportunity to observe the inhuman manner in which the 
American prisoners were treated. In one of the churches in which 
they were crowded, he saw seven lying dead at one time, and others 
biting pieces of chips from hunger. He calculated, that of the 
prisoners taken on Long Island and at Fort Washington, near two 
thousand perished by hunger and cold, or in consequence of diseases 
occasioned by the impurity of their prisons. 

Colonel Allen was exchanged for Colonel Campbell, May 6th, 
1778, and after having repaired to head-quarters, and offered his 
services to General Washington, in case his health should be restored, 
he returned to Vermont. His arrival on the evening of the last day 
of May, gave his friends great joy, and it was announced by the dis- 
charge of cannon. As an expression of confidence in his patriotism 
and military talents, he was very soon appointed to the command of 
the state militia. His intrepidity, however, was never again brought 
to the test, though his patriotism was tried by an unsuccessful attempt 
of the British to bribe him to attempt a union of Vermont with Canada. 
He died suddenly on his estate, February 13th, 1789. 

General Allen was brave, humane and generous ; yet his conduct 
does not seem to have been much influenced by considerations 
respecting that holy and merciful Being, whose character and whose 
commands are disclosed to us in the Scriptures. His notions with 
regard to religion were loose and absurd. He believed with Pytha- 
goras, the heathen philosopher, that men, after death, would trans- 
migrate into beasts, birds, fishes, reptiles, &c, and often informed 
his friends that he himself expected to live again in the form of a 
large white horse. 





BRIGADIER GENERAL DANIEL MORGAN. 



ENERAL MORGAN was the creator 
of his own fortune. Born of poor, 
though honest parents, he enjoyed none 
of the advantages which result from 
wealth and early education. But his 
was a spirit that would not tamely 
yield to difficulties. 

" He was born in New Jersey, where, 
from his poverty and low condition, he 
had been a day-laborer. To early 
education and breeding, therefore, he 
owed nothing. But for this deficiency, 

his native sagacity, and sound judgment, and his intercourse with 

the best society, made much amends in after life. 

Enterprising in his disposition, even now, he removed to Virginia, 

208 




JOINS THE ARMY. 



209 



in 1755, with a hope and expectation of improving his fortune. Here 
he continued, at first, his original business of day-labor; but exchanged 
it, afterward, for the employment of a wagoner. 

His military novitiate he served in the campaign under the unfor- 
tunate Braddock. The rank he bore is not precisely known. It 
must, however, have been humble ; for, in consequence of imputed 
contumely towards a British officer, he was brought to the halbert, 
and received the inhuman punishment of five hundred lashes ; or, 
according to his own statement, of four hundred and ninety-nine ; 
for he always asserted that the drummer, charged with the execu- 
tion of the sentence, miscounted, and jocularly added, " that George 
the Third was still indebted to him one lash." To the honor of 
Morgan, he never practically remembered this savage treatment 
during the revolutionary war. Towards the British officers, whom 
the fortune of battle placed within his power, his conduct was humane, 
mild and gentlemanly. 

After his return from this campaign, so inordinately was he addicted 
to quarrels and boxing matches, that the village of Berrystown, in 
the county of Frederick, which constituted the chief theatre of his 
pugilistic exploits, received, from this circumstance, the name of 
Battletown. 

In these combats, although frequently overmatched in personal 
strength, he manifested the same unyielding spirit which characterized 
him afterward, in his military career. When worsted by his antago- 
nist, he would pause, for a time, to recruit his strength, and then 
return to the contest, again and again, until he rarely failed to prove 
victorious. 

Equally marked was his invincibility of spirit in maturer age, when 
raised, by fortune and his own merit, to a higher and more honorable 
field of action. Defeat in battle he rarely experienced ; but when he 
did, his retreat was sullen, stern and dangerous. 

The commencement of the American revolution, found Mr. Morgan 
married and cultivating a farm, which, by industry and economy, he 
had been enabled to purchase, in the county of Frederick. 

Placed at the head of a rifle company, raised in his neighborhood, 
in 1775, he marched immediately to the American head-quarters, in 
Cambridge, near Boston. 

By order of the commander-in-chief, he soon afterward joined 
in the expedition against Quebec, and was made prisoner in the 
attempt on that fortress, where Arnold was wounded, and Mont 
gomery fell. 

During the assault, his daring valor and persevering gallantry 
attracted the notice and admiration of the enemy. 

14 



210 



DANIEL MORGAN. 




HE assailing column, to which he 
belonged, was led by Major Arnold. 
When that officer was wounded, 
and carried from the ground, Mor- 
gan threw himself into the lead, 
and, rushing forward, passed the 
first and second barriers. For a 
moment, victory appeared certain. 
But the fall of Montgomery closing 
the prospect, the assailants were 
repulsed, and the enterprise aban- 
doned. During his captivity, Cap- 
tain Morgan was treated with great 
kindness, and not a little distinction. 
He was repeatedly visited in con- 
finement by a British officer of rank, 
who at length made an attempt on his patriotism and virtue, by 
offering him the commission and emoluments of colonel in the 
British army, on condition that he would desert the American and 
join the royal standard. 

Morgan rejected the proposal with scorn : and requested the courtly 
and corrupt negotiator " never again to insult him in his misfortunes, 
by an offer which plainly implied that he thought him a villain." The 
officer withdrew, and did not again recur to the subject. 

On being exchanged, Morgan immediately rejoined the American 
army, and received, by the recommendation of General Washington, 
the command of a regiment. 

In the year 1777, he was placed at the head of a select rifle corps, 
with which, in various instances, he acted on the enemy with terrible 
effect. His troops were considered the most dangerous in the Ameri- 
can service. To confront them, in the field, was almost certain death 
to the British officers. 

On the occasion of the capture of Burgoyne at Saratoga, the exer- 
tions and services of Colonel Morgan, and his riflemen, were beyond 
all praise. Much of the glory of the achievement belonged to them. 
Yet so gross was the injustice of General Gates, that he did not even 
mention them in bis official despatches. His reason for this was 
secret and dishonorable. Shortly after the surrender of Burgoyne, 
General Gates took occasion to hold with Morgan a private con- 
versation. In the course of this, he told him confidentially, that 
the main army was exceedingly dissatisfied with the conduct of 
General Washington ; that the reputation of the commander-in- 
chief was rapidly declining ; and that several officers of great worth 



MORGANS REPLY TO GENERAL GATES. 



211 




Battle-ground of Saratoga. 

threatened to resign unless a change were produced in that depart- 
ment. 

Colonel Morgan, fathoming in an instant, the views of his com- 
manding officer, sternly, and with honest indignation, replied, " Sir, 
I have one favor to ask. Never, again, mention to me this hated 
subject ; under no other man but General Washington, as commander- 
in-chief, will I ever serve." 

From that moment ceased the intimacy that had previously sub- 
sisted between him and Gen. Gates. 

A few days afterward, the general gave a dinner to the principal 
officers of the British, and some of those of the American army. 
Morgan was not invited. In the course of the evening, that officer 
found it necessary to call on Gen. Gates, on official business. Being 
introduced into the dining-room, he spoke to the general, received 
his orders, and immediately withdrew, his name unannounced. Per- 
ceiving, from his dress, that he was of high rank, the British officers 
inquired his name. Being told that, it was Col. Morgan, command- 
ing the rifle corps, they rose from the table, followed him into the 
yard, and introduced themselves to him, with many complimentary 
and flattering expressions, declaring that on the day of action they 
had very severely felt him in the field. 

In 1780, having obtained leave of absence from the army, on ac- 
count of the shattered condition of his health, he retired to his estate, 
in the county of Frederick, and remained there until the appointment 
of Gen. Gates to the command of the southern army. 

Being waited on by the latter, and requested to accompany him, 
he reminded him, in expressions marked by resentment, of the un- 
worthy treatment he had formerly experienced from him, in return 
for the^niportant services, which he did not hesitate to assert, he 




212 DANIEL MORGAN. 

had rendered him in his operations against the army of Gen. Bur- 
goyne. 

Having received no acknowledgment, nor even civility, for aiding 
to decorate him with laurels in the north, he frankly declared that 
there were no considerations, expept of a public nature, that could 
induce him to co-operate in his campaigns to the south. " Motives 
of public good might influence him, because his country had a claim 
on him, in any quarter, where he could promote her interest ; but 
personal attachment must not be expected to exist, where he had 
experienced nothing but neglect and injustice." 

The two officers parted, mutually dissatisfied : the one on account 
of past treatment, the other of the recent interview. 

N the course of a few weeks afterward, Congress 
having promoted Colonel Morgan to the rank of 
brigadier-general, by brevet, with a view to avail 
themselves of his services in the south, he pro- 
ceeded without delay to join the army of General 
Gates. But he was prevented from serving any 
length of time under that officer, by his defeat 
near Camden, before his arrival ; and his being soon after superseded 
in command by General Greene. 

Soon after taking command of the southern army, General Greene 
despatched General Morgan with four hundred continentals, under 
Colonel Howard, Colonel Washington's corps of dragoons, and a 
few militia, amounting in all to about six hundred, to take position 
on the left of the British army, then lying at Winnsborough, under 
Lord Cornwallis, while he took post about seventy miles to his right. 
This judicious disposition excited his lordship's apprehensions for the 
safety of Ninety-Six and Augusta, British posts, which he considered 
as menaced by the movements of Morgan. 

Colonel Tarleton, with a strong detachment, amounting in horse 
and foot to near a thousand men, was immediately despatched by 
Cornwallis to the protection of Ninety-Six, with orders to bring 
General Morgan, if possible, to battle. To the ardent temper and 
chivalrous disposition of the British colonel, this direction was per- 
fectly congenial. Greatly superior in numbers, he advanced on 
Morgan with a menacing aspect, and compelled him, at first, to fall 
back rapidly. But the retreat of the American commander was not 
long continued. Irritated by pursuit, reinforced by a body of militia, 
and reposing great confidence in the spirit and firmness of his regular 
troops, he halted at the Cowpens, and determined to gratify his 
adversary, in his eagerness for combat. This was on the night of 
the 16th of January, 1781. Early in the morning of the succeeding 



BATTLE OF THE COWPENS. 



213 




day, Tarleton being apprised of the situation of Morgan, pressed 
towards him with a redoubled rapidity, lest, by renewing his retreat, 
he should again elude him. 

UT Morgan now had other thoughts than 
those of flight. Already had he, for several 
days, been at war with himself in relation 
to his conduct. Glorying in action, his 
spirit recoiled from the humiliation of 
retreat, and his resentment was roused by 
the insolence of pursuit. This mental con- 
flict becoming more intolerable to him than 
disaster or death, his courage triumphed 
perhaps over his prudence, and he resolved on putting every thing to 
the hazard of the sword. 

By military men, who have studied the subject, his disposition for 
battle is said to have been masterly. Two light parties of militia 
were advanced in front, with orders to feel the enemy as they 
approached ; and preserving a desultory, well-aimed fire, as they fell 
back to the front line, to range with it, and renew the conflict. The 
main body of the militia composed this line, with General Pickens 
at its head. At a suitable distance in the rear of the first line, a 
second was stationed composed of the continental infantry, and two 
companies of Virginia militia, commanded by Colonel Howard. 
Washington's cavalry, reinforced with a company of mounted militia, 
armed with sabres, was held in reserve. 

Posting himself, then, in the line of the regulars, he waited in 
silence the advance of the enemy. 

Tarleton coming in sight, hastily formed his disposition for battle, 
and commenced the assault. Of this conflict, the following picture 
is from the pen of General Lee : — 

" The American light parties quickly yielded, fell back, and arrayed 
with Pickens. The enemy shouting, rushed forward upon the front 
line, which retained its station, and poured in a close fire ; but con- 
tinuing to advance with the bayonet on our militia, they retired, and 
gained, with haste, the second line. Here, with part of the corps, 
Pickens took post on Howard's right, and the rest fled to their horses, 
probably with orders to remove them to a further distance. Tarle- 
ton pushed forward, and was received by his adversary with unshaken 
firmness. The contest became obstinate ; and each party, animated 
by the example of its leader, nobly contended for victory. Our line 
maintained itself so firmly, as to oblige the enemy to order up his 
reserve. The advance of M'Arthur reanimated the British line, 
which again moved forward, and, outstretching our front, endangered 



214 



DANIEL MORGAN. 




Battle cf the Cowpens. 

Colonel Howard's right. This officer instantly took measures to 
defend his flank, V>v directing his right company to change its front ; 
but, mistaking this order, the company fell back ; upon which the 
line began to retire, and General Morgan directed it to retreat to the 
cavalry. This manoeuvre being performed with precision, our flank 
became relieved, and the new position was assumed with prompti- 
tude. Considering this retrograde movement the precursor of flight, 
the British line rushed on with impetuosity and disorder ; but as it 
drew near, Howard faced about, and gave it a close and murderous 
fire. Stunned by this unexpected shock, the mGst advanced of the 
enemy recoiled in confusion. Howard seized the happv moment, 
and followed his advantage with the bayonet. This decisive step 
gave us the day. The reserve having been brought near the line, 
shared in the destruction of our fire, and presented no rallying point 
to the fugitives. A part of the enemy's cavalry, having sained our 
rear, fell on that portion of the militia who had retired to their horses. 
Washington struck at them with his dragoons, and drove them before 
him. Thus, by a simultaneous effort, the infantry and cavalrv of the 
enemy were routed. Morgan pressed home his success, and the pur- 
suit became vigorous and general. 

" In this decisive battle we lost about seventy men. of whom twelve 
only were killed. The British infantrv, with the exception of the 
baggage guard, were nearly all killed or taken. One hundred, in- 
cluding ten officers, were killed ; twenty-three officers and five hun- 



GENERAL MORGAN S CHARACTER. 215 

dred privates were taken. The artillery, eight hundred muskets, 
two standards, thirty-five baggage-wagons, and one hundred dragoon 
horses fell into our possession." 

In this battle, so glorious to the American arms, Tarleton had 
every advantage, in point of ground, cavalry, and numbers, aided by 
two pieces of artillery. 

Soon after this brilliant exploit, frequent attacks of rheumatism 
compelled Gen. Morgan to retire from the army, and he returned to 
his seat in Frederick, Virginia, where he continued in retirement 
until the insurrection in the western part of Pennsylvania, in 1794, 
when he was detached by the executive of Virginia, at the head of 
the militia quota of that state, to suppress it. This done, he returned 
into the bosom of his family, where he remained until death closed 
his earthly career, in 1799. 

" There existed in the character of Gen. Morgan a sin?ular con- 
tradiction, which is worthy of notice. 

Although in battle no man was ever more prodigal of the exposure 
of his person to danger, or manifested a more deliberate disregard 
of. death, yet so strong was his love of life, at other times, that he 
has been frequently heard to declare, " he would agree to pass half 
his time as a galley-slave, rather than quit this world for another." 

The following outline of his person and character is from the pen 
of a military friend, who knew him intimately. 

" Brigadier-general Morgan was stout and active, six feet in height, 
strong, not too much encumbered with flesh, and was exactly fitted 
for the toils and pomp of war. His mind was discriminating and 
solid, but not comprehensive and combining. His manners plain 
and decorous, neither insinuating nor repulsive. His conversation 
grave, sententious and considerate, unadorned and uncaptivatins. 
He reflected deeply, spoke little, and executed with keen perse- 
verance whatever he undertook. He was indulgent in his military 
command, preferring always the affections of his troops to that dread 
and awe which surround the rigid disciplinarian. 

"A considerable time before his death, when the pressure of in- 
firmity began to be heavy, he became seriously concerned about his 
future welfare. From that period his chief solace lav in the study 
of the Scriptures, and in devotional exercises. He died in the belief 
of the truths of Christianity, and m full communion with the Pres- 
byterian church " 





^ r, 



COLONEL JOHN EAGER HOWARD. 




,OHN EAGER HOWARD was born 

in Baltimore county, Maryland, on the 

4th of June, 1752. His ancestors 

were among the first settlers of the 

state, the grandfather, Joshua Howard, having 

emigrated from England in 1686. Here he 

obtained a tract of land, and married Miss 

Joanna O'Carroll, daughter of a gentleman 

from Ireland. His son, Cornelius, became 

affianced to Miss Ruth Eager, a descendant of 

an English landholder, under the charter of Lord Baltimore. These 

were the parents of Colonel Howard. Little of military history is 

woven with the family history, except that the grandfather fought 

under the Duke of York during the Monmouth insurrection, and 

seems to have been once or twice concerned in some Indian 

difficulties. 

Of Howard's early life we know nothing. He was certainly not 

educated for a particular profession, and probably was either brought 

up to farming, or without any specific prospects as to his future 

course. The breaking out of the revolution, however, roused him 

to activity ; and so eager did he become to espouse the cause of his 

country, that the committee of safety offered him a commission as 

colonel. This, however, he declined to accept, on account of its 
S16 



BATTLE OF GERM AN TOWN. 



217 



important duties, and contented himself with the rank of captain. 
He raised a company in three days, marched to the main army, and 
fought for the first time at White Plains. In September of the 
same year, Congress promoted him to the rank of major in the con- 
tinental ranks, just raised to serve during: the remainder of the 
war. In the retreat through the Jerseys, he displayed the active 
watchfulness which made, him afterwards so famous in the south, 
and was much engaged in assisting the recruiting service. While 
the enemy were trying to get possession of Philadelphia, in 1777, 
he was frequently with parties sent to harass them ; and when they 
embarked for the Chesapeake, he was serving with the main army 
under General Washington. 

He was now permitted to leave the army for some time on account 
of the death of his father, but joined it in time to assist at the, battle 
of Germantown. The following extracts from one of his letters, 
will show the part he took in this action. 

"As we [Sullivan's division] descended into the valley near Mount 
Airy, the sun arose, but was soon obscured. The British picket at 
Allen's house had two six pounders, which were several times fired 
at the advance, and killed several persons. Sullivan's division 
formed in a lane running from Allen's house towards the Schuylkill, 
our left about two hundred yards from the house. Soon after being 
formed, we had orders to move on, and advanced through a field to 
the encampment of the British light infantry, in an orchard, where 
we found them formed to receive us. A close and sharp action 
commenced, and continued fifteen or twenty minutes, when the 
British broke and retreated. ******* 

Colonel Hall, who was on foot, ordered me to bring up the com- 
pany that had crossed the road ; but finding them engaged from 
behind houses with some of the enemy, who I supposed had belonged 
to the picket, I judged it not proper to call them off, as it would 
expose our flank. I reported to Colonel Hall, who then desired me 
to let him have my horse, and said he would bring them up himself. 
Riding one way and looking another, the horse ran with him under 
a. cider press, and he was so hurt that he was taken from the field. 
I was then left in command of the regiment, as Lieutenant-Colone 
Smith some time before had been detached to Fort Mifflin. The 
enemy by this time had given way, and I pushed on through their 
encampment, their tents standing; and in the road, before we came 
opposite to Chew's house, took two six pounders, which I suppose 
were those that had been with the picket; but, as the drag ropes 
had been cut and taken away, we could do nothing with them. I 
had orders to keep to the right of the road, and as we passed Chew's 



218 



JOHN EAGER HOWARD. 



house, we were fired at from the upper windows, but received no 
injury. We passed on to the rear of several stone houses, to an 
orchard, where we were halted by Colonel Hazen.* ********* 
Whilst we were halted, the British army were formed in the School 
House Lane, directly in our front, six or seven hundred yards from 
us, but owing to the denseness of the fog, which had greatly increased 
after the commencement of the action, we could not see them. 
About the time of the attack on the house, a party of Muhlenburg's 
and Scott's brigades from the left wing, particularly the 9th Virginia 
regiment, commanded by Colonel Mathews, advanced to the eastward 
of Chew's house, and penetrated to the market-house. The British 
general, Grey, brought from their left the 4th brigade, under Agnew, 
and three battalions of the 3d, and made an attack upon them, 
whilst they were engaged with two regiments brought up from the 
right wing. Thus assailed in front and on both wings, Mathews 
defended himself with great bravery, and did not surrender until the 
most of his officers were killed or wounded. He himself received 
several bayonet wounds." 

After this battle, Washington retired to the hilly country near 
Philadelphia, and for a considerable time neither army appeared 
willing to molest the other. Colonel Williams was with the Ameri- 
cans during this inactive period, but of the particular nature of his 
duties we are informed nothing. On one occasion, Howe left Phila- 
delphia, with the avowed purpose of giving battle ; but after manoeu- 
vring for some time, broke up his camp, returned to the city, and 
both armies resumed their inactivity until the British evacuated 
Philadelphia. Major Howard moved with the Americans in pursuit, 
and was subsequently engaged in the battle of Monmouth. 

N the spring of 1780, fourteen hun- 
dred troops, principally from Dela- 
ware and Maryland, embarked on 
the Chesapeake, in order to relieve 
Charleston, which was then be- 
sieged by a large British force. 
They failed to accomplish their 
object, being unable to reach Peters- 
burg until June, nearly a month 
after Charleston had capitulated. 
Major Howard accompanied these 
troops, and on the first of June was 
promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel of the fifth Maryland 
regiment, in the army of the United States, to take rank as such, 
from the 11th day of March, 1778. 




BATTLE OF THE COW PENS. 221 

Colonel Howard bore an ample share in the disastrous march of 
Gates to the south, the particulars of which are given in another 
part of this volume. Diseased, emaciated, and half-starved, the 
Americans were hurried into action, with a superior veteran force, 
free from all these difficulties, and totally defeated. Few brigades 
suffered more than the two from Maryland, one of which was com- 
manded by Howard. He charged the enemy in front of him with 
the bayonet ; but the rout of the main body frustrated the benefits 
of this commencement, and almost all the brigade being dispersed, 
the colonel retreated with the wretched remnant, to Charlotte. 

The sufferings experienced by the militia after the battle of Camden, 
were dreadful. Alarm flew like a withering pestilence through the 
country, forts and villages were abandoned, companies broken up, and 
firesides deserted. The soldiers who could be kept together, often 
subsisted for several days on nothing but unripe peaches, and the 
warmest friends of liberty began to consider the south as lost to the 
confederacy. 

In October an infantry battalion was organized, and the command 
given to Lieutenant Colonel Howard, with orders to take a position 
favorable for watching the enemy. During the same month, Fergu- 
son was defeated at King's Mountain, which tended not a little to 
restore the spirits of the Americans. Little of interest then trans- 
pired, until the arrival of General Greene as commander of the 
southern army. This was in December. 

We now come to the greatest military event in the life of Colonel 
Howard — the battle of Cowpens. In the disposition for battle, the 
colonel's troops, composed of the continental infantry and two com- 
panies of the Virginia militia under Captains Triplett and Taite, 
occupied the second line behind General Pickens. When the militia 
of the latter officer retreated, Tarleton fell furiously upon Howard, 
who after an obstinate struggle, fell back and formed a new line of 
battle. Considering this retrograde movement the precursor of flight, 
the British rushed on with impetuosity and disorder ; but as they drew 
near, Howard faced about and gave them a close and murderous fire. 
Stunned by this unexpected shock, the most advanced of the enemy 
recoiled in confusion, and, seizing the happy moment, the colonel 
ordered a charge with the bayonet, which decided the day. We 
give the particulars of this brilliant movement in his own words : — 
" Seeing my right flank was exposed to the enemy, I attempted to 
change the front of Wallace's company ; in doing it some confusion 
ensued, and first a part and then the whole of the company com- 
menced a retreat. The officers along the line seeing this,' and sup- 
posing that orders had been given for a retreat, faced their men 



222 



JOHN EAGER HOWARD. 




Howard's decisive charge at Cowpens. 

about and moved off. Morgan, who had mostly been with the 
militia, quickly rode up to me and expressed apprehensions of the 
event ; but I soon removed his fears by pointing to the line, and ob- 
serving that men were not beaten who retreated in that order. He 
then ordered me to keep with the men until we came to the rising- 
ground near Washington's horse ; and he rode forward to fix on the 
most proper place for us to halt and face about. In a minute we 
had a perfect line. The enemy were now very near us. Our men 
commenced a very destructive fire, which they little expected, and a 
few rounds occasioned great disorder in their ranks. While in this 
confusion I ordered a charge with the bayonet, which order was 
obeyed with great alacrity. As the line advanced, I observed their 
artillery a short distance in front, and called to Captain Ewing, who 
was near me, to take it. Captain Anderson hearing the order, also 
pushed for the same object ; and both being emulous for the prize, 
kept pace until near the first piece, when Anderson, by putting the 
end of his spontoon forward into the ground, made a long leap, which 
brought him upon the gun, and gave him the honor of the prize. 
My attention was now drawn to an altercation of some of the men, 



CATTLE OF THE COW PENS. 



223 



with an artilleryman, who appeared to make it a point of honor not 
to surrender his match. The men, provoked by his obstinacy, would 
have bayoneted him on the spot, had I not interfered, and desired 
them to spare the life of so brave a man. He then surrendered his 
match. In the pursuit, I was led to the right in among the 71st 
[British regiment] who were broken into squads ; and as I called 
to them to surrender, they laid down their arms, and the officers 
delivered up their swords. Captain Duncanson, of the. 71st grena- 
diers, gave me his sword, and stood by me. Upon getting on my 
horse, I found him pulling at my saddle, and he nearly unhorsed me. 
I expressed my displeasure, and asked him what he was about. The 
explanation was, that they had orders to give no quarters, and did 
not expect any ; and as my men were coming up, he was afraid they 
would use him ill. I admitted his excuse, and put him into the care 
of a sergeant. I had messages from him some years afterwards, 
expressing his obligation for my having saved his life." 

On the occasion of the remarkable retreats of Morgan and Greene, 
subsequent to this battle, Colonel Howard was engaged in the most 
pressing and fatiguing duties. When it became necessary to march 
toward the Dan, he was left with Colonel Williams, wdio had been 
ordered to take post between the retreating and advancing army, to 
hover round the skirts of the latter, to seize every opportunity of 
striking in detail, and to retard the enemy by vigilance and judicious 
movements ; while Greene, with the main body, proceeded toward 
the river. 

This manoeuvre on the part of the American general, was judicious, 
and had an immediate effect. Cornwallis, finding a corps of horse and 
foot close in his front, whose strength and object were not immediately 
ascertainable, checked the rapidity of his march, to give time for 
his long-extended line to condense. Could Williams have withdrawn 
himself from between Greene and Cornwallis, he might, perhaps, by 
secretly reaching the British rear, have performed material service. 
Although his sagacity discovered the prospect, yet his sound judgment 
would not adopt a movement, which might endanger the retreat of an 
army, whose safety was the object of his duty, and indispensable to 
the common cause. He adhered, therefore, to the less dazzling 
but more useful system, and placed his attention, first on the 
safety of the main body, next on that of the corps under his com- 
mand ; risking the latter only, when the security of Greene's retreat 
demanded it, and then without hesitation. Pursuing his course 
obliquely to the left, he reached an intermediate road, the British 
army being on his left and in his rear, the American in front and on 
his right. 




224 JOHN EAGER HOWARD. 

HE duty severe in the day, became more 
so at night ; for numerous paroles and 
strong pickets, were necessarily fur- 
nished by the light troops, not only for 
their own safety, but to prevent the 
enemy from placing themselves by a 
circuitous march between Williams and 
Greene. Such a manoeuvre would have 
been fatal to the American army ; and 
to render it impossible, half the troops 
were alternately appropriated every 
night to duty ; so that each man during the retreat was entitled to 
but six hours repose in forty-eight. Notwithstanding this priva- 
tion, the troops were in fine spirits and good health ; delighted with 
their task, and determined to prove themselves worthy the distinction 
with wiiich they had been honored. At the hour of three their toils 
were renewed ; for Williams always pressed forward with the utmost 
despatch in the morning, to gain such a distance in front, as would 
secure to his soldiers breakfast, their only meal during this rapid and 
hazardous retreat. 

We are unable to follow Colonel Howard through all the intricacies 
of this admirable retreat. He fully realized the expectations of his 
brother officers, and carried his detachment safely to the main camp. 
The part he took in the battle of Guilford Court House, is thus 
described in his own words : 

" The [British] guards, after they had defeated General Stephens, 
pushed into the cleared ground and ran at the second regiment, 
which immediately gave way — owing I believe in a great measure to 
the want of officers, and having so many new recruits. The guards 
pursued them into our rear, where they took two pieces of artillery. 
This transaction was in a great measure concealed from the first 
regiment, by the wood, and unevenness of the ground. But my 
station being on the left of the first regiment, and next the cleared 
ground, Captain Gibson, deputy adjutant-general, rode to me, and 
informed me that a party of the enemy, inferior in numbers to us, 
were pushing through the cleared ground and into our rear, and that 
if we would face about and charge them we might take them. We 
had been for some time engaged with a party of Webster's brigade, 
though not hard pressed, and at that moment their fire had slackened. 
I rode to Gunby and gave him the information. He did not hesitate 
to order the regiment to face about, and we were immediately engaged 
with the guards. Our men gave them some well directed fires, and 
we then advanced and continued firing. At this time Gunby's horse 



HOWARD GOVERNOR. OF MARYLAND. 227 

was shot, and when I met him some time after he informed me that 
his horse fell upon him, and it was with difficulty he extricated him- 
self. As we advanced, I observed \.Yashington's horse, and as their 
movements were quicker than ours, they first charged and broke the 
enemy. My men followed very quickly, and we passed through the 
guards, many of whom had Item knocked down by the horse without 
being much hurt. We took some prisoners, and the whole were in 
our power. After passing through the guards, I found myself in the 
cleared ground, and saw the 71st regiment near the court-house, and 
other columns of the enemy appearing in different directions. Wash- 
ington's horse having gone off, I found it necessary to retire, which 
I did leisurely ; but many of the guards who were lying on the 
ground, and who we supposed were wounded, got up and fired at us 
as we retired." 

N the death of Lieutenant-Colonel Ford, 
who was wounded in this battle, Colonel 
Williams received command of the 2d 
TO 0^5=^ regiment, in which capacity he served 
at the battle of Eutaw. Here, as usual, 
i, the bayonet was his principal reliance, and after 
/ a most stubborn conflict, in which one half of his 
men were killed or wounded, and seven officers 
~^j ont of twelve disabled, he completely swept the 
-^ field. " Nothing," says General Greene, soon 
after the battle, " could exceed the gallantry of the Maryland line. 
Colonels Williams, Howard, and all the officers exhibited acts of 
uncommon bravery ; and the free use of the bayonet by this and 
some other corps, gave us the victory." 

In this action, Howard was severely wounded, and before his 
recovery, the war was virtually ended. After the war, he married 
Miss Margaret Chew, daughter of a gentleman of Philadelphia, and 
settled with her upon his patrimonial estate. He was chosen 
governor of Maryland in 1788, and served three years. In 1794 he 
declined a commission as major-general of militia. In 1795 Wash- 
ington pressed him to accept the office of secretary of war, but he 
declined, principally on account of ill health. " Had your inclina- 
tion," writes Washington to him, " and private pursuits permitted 
you to take the office that was offered to you, it would have been a 
very pleasing circumstance to me, and I am persuaded, as I observed 
to you on a former occasion, a very acceptable one to the public. 
But the reasons which you have assigned must, however reluctantly, 
be submitted to." He was subsequently named by Washington as 
one of his brigadiers, in the event of war with France. For some 




J O H .X £ I G s a .; 

was .rtre he remained until 

- 

i 

• aa much 

I my 

A 

- 

■ 

. the 

peaceful 

.:■•'. v . . .-:Lan- 

- 

K nax 'irur, and will ever 

rx> pheei 

I 

. 

■vices of the 
.-..on. 

• was 



HOWARD a CHARACTER. 



229 



called of duty to ais country, he was found to be fully equal to the 
occasion ; and the revolutionary war closed leaving him still in the 
full vigor oi manhood, possessed of an ample fortune, and crowned 
with honorable laurels. 

Th' una which he subsequently enjoyed in civil life, only 

served to develope more fully his abilities and patriotic spirit ; and 
he finally passed from the scene of actio i. le reverence, affec- 

tion, and applause of ins g 







■zel rxTJni 




(&) — 1_p 



I-Iajor James's adyeuLure with Captain Ardeaoif. 

MAJOR JOHN JAMES, 




AS bom in Ireland, in 1732, and was the son of 
an officer who had served King William in his 
wars in Ireland against King James. This 
circumstance was the origin of the name of 
Williamsburg, which is now attached to one of 
the districts of Carolina. The elder James, 
with his family, and several of his neighbors, migrated to that district 
in 1733, made the first settlement there, and in honor of King 
William gave his name to a village laid out on the east bank of 
Black river. The village is now called King's Tree, from a white or 
short-leafed pine, which in old royal grants was reserved for the use 
of the king; and the name of Williamsburg has been transferred to 
the district. To it Major James, when an infant, was brought by 
his parents. His first recollections were those of a stockade fort, 
and of war between the new settlers and the natives. The former 
were often reduced to great straits in procuring the necessaries of 

230 



SERVICES IN THE SOUTH. 



231 



life, and in defending themselves against the Indians. In this then 
frontier settlement, Major James, Mr. James Bradley, and other 
compatriots of the revolution, were trained up to defend and love 
their country. Their opportunities for acquiring liberal educations 
were slender but for obtaining religious instruction were very ample. 
They were brought up under the eye and pastoral care of the Rev. 
John Rae, a Presbyterian minister, who accompanied his congrega- 
tion in their migration from Ireland to Carolina. When the revolu- 
tion commenced, in 1775, Major James had acquired a considerable 
portion both of reputation and property. He was a captain of militia 
under George the Third. Disapproving of the measures of the Bri- 
tish government, he resigned his royal commission, but was soon 
after reinstated by a popular vote. In the year 1776, he marched 
with his company to the defence of Charleston. In the year 1779, 
he was with General Moultrie on his retreat before General Prevost, 
and commanded one hundred and twenty riflemen in the skirmish at 
Tulifinny. When Charleston was besieged, in 1780, Major James 
marched to its defence ; but Governor John Rutledge ordered him 
back to embody the country militia. The town having fallen, he 
was employed by his countrymen to wait on the conquerors, and to 
inquire of them what terms they would give. On finding that no- 
thing short of an unconditional submission and a resumption of the 
characters and duties of British subjects would be accepted, he ab- 
ruptly broke off all negotiation ; and, rejoining his friends, formed 
the stamina of the distinguished corps known in the latter periods 
of the revolutionary war by the name of Marion's Brigade. In the 
course of this cruel and desultory warfare, Major James was reduced 
from easy circumstances to poverty. All his moveable property was 
carried off, and every house on his plantation burnt ; but he bore up 
under these misfortunes, and devoted, not only all his possessions, 
but life itself for the good of his country. After Greene, as com- 
mander-in-chief, had superseded Marion, Major James continued to 
serve under the former, and fought with him at the battle of Eutaw. 
The corps with which he served consisted mostly of riflemen, and 
were each served with twenty-four rounds of cartridges. Many of 
them expended the whole, and most of them twenty of these in firing 
on the enemy. As they were in the habit of taking aim, their shot 
seldom failed of doing execution. Shortly after this action, Major 
James and General Marion were both elected members of the state 
legislature. Before the general had rejoined his brigade, it was un- 
expectedly attacked, and after retreating was pursued by a party of 
the British commanded by Colonel Thompson, now Count Rumford. 
In this retreat, Major James being mounted, was nearly overtaken 



232 



JOHN JAMES. 




Count Rumfoid. 

by two British dragoons, but kept them from cutting him clown by a 
judicious use of his pistols, and escaped by leaping a chasm in a 
bridge of twenty feet width. The dragoons did not follow. The 
major being out of their reach, rallied his men, brought them back 
to the charge, and stopped the progress of the enemy. When the 
war was nearly over, he resigned his commission, and like another 
Cincinnatus, returned to his farm and devoted the remainder of his 
days to the improvement of his property and the education of his 
children. In the year 1791 he died, with the composure and forti- 
tude of a Christian hero. 

The following characteristic anecdote of Major James is related 
in the life of General Marion. 

" After the fall of Charleston, in this year, Captain Ardesoif, of 
the British navy, arrived at Georgetown, to carry the last proclama- 
tion of Sir Henry Clinton into effect, and invited the people to come 
in and swear allegiance to King George. Many of the inhabitants 
of that district submitted to this new act of degradation. But there 
remained a portion of it, stretching from the Santee to the Pedee, 
and including the whole of the present Williamsburg, and part of 
Marion district, into which the British arms had not penetrated. 



ANECDOTE OF MAJOR JAMES. 



233 



The inhabitants of it were generally of Irish extraction ; a people 
who, at all times during the war, abhorred either submission or 
vassalage. Among them, tradition has handed down the following 
story : — A public meeting was called to deliberate upon their critical 
situation, and Major John James, who had heretofore commanded 
them in the field, and represented them in the legislature, was selected 
as the person who should go down to Captain Ardesoif, and know 
from him whether, by his proclamation, he meant that they should 
take up arms against their countrymen. He proceeded to George- 
town, in the plain garb of a country planter, and was introduced to 
the captain, at his lodgings, a considerable distance from his ship. 
An altercation of the following nature took place. After the major 
had narrated the nature of his mission, the captain, surprised that 
such an embassy should be sent to him, answered, ' The submission 
must be unconditional.' To an inquiry, whether the inhabitants 
would not be allowed to stay at home upon their plantations, in peace 
and quiet, he replied, ' Although you have rebelled against his 
majesty, he offers you free pardon, of which you are undeserving, for 
you ought all to be hanged ; but as he offers you a free pardon, you 
must take up arms in support of his cause.' To Major James's sug- 
gesting that the people he came to represent would not submit on 
such terms, the captain, irritated at his republican language, particu- 
larly, it is supposed, at the word represent, replied, ' You d — rebel, 
if you speak iu such language I will immediately order you to be 
hanged up to the yard-arm.' The captain wore a sword, and Major 
James none, but perceiving what turn matters were likely to take, 
and not brooking such harsh language, he suddenly seized the chair 
on which he was seated, knocked the captain down, and making his 
retreat through the back door of the house, mounted his horse, and 
made his escape into the country." 





MAJOR GENERAL HENRY KNOX. 





theb 
town 

234 



MONG those of our countrymen, 
who most zealously engaged in 
the cause of liberty, few sus- 
tained a rank more deservedly 
conspicuous than General Knox. 
Jg He was one of those heroes, of whom it 
J* may be truly said, that he lived for his 
% country. 

Born in Boston, July, 1750, his child- 
hood and youth were employed in obtaining 
est education, that the justly celebrated schools .of his native 
afforded. In very early life he opened a bookstore, for the 



EARLY LIFE. 235 

enlargement of which he soon formed an extensive correspondence 
in Europe — but little time elapsed before, at the call of his country, 
he relinquished this lucrative and increasing business. Indebted to 
no adventitious aid, his character was formed by himself; the native 
and vigorous principles of his own mind made him what he was. 
Distinguished among his associates, from the first dawn of manhood, 
for a decided predilection to martial exercises, he was, at the age of 
eighteen, selected by the young men of Boston as one of the officers 
of a company of grenadiers — a company so distinguished for its 
martial appearance, and the precision of its evolutions, that it received 
the most flattering encomiums from a British officer of high distinction. 

This early scene of his military labors, served but as a school for 
that distinguished talent which afterwards shone with lustre, in the 
most brilliant campaigns of an eight years war ; through the whole 
of which he directed the artillery with consummate skill and bravery. 

His heart was deeply engaged in the cause of freedom ; he felt it 
to be a righteous cause, and to its accomplishment yielded every 
other consideration. When Britain declared hostilities, he hesitated 
not a moment, what course he should pursue. No sordid calculation 
of interest retarded his decision. The quiet of domestic life, the. fair 
prospect of increasing wealth, and even the- endearing claims of 
family and friends, though urged with the most persuasive eloquence, 
had no power to divert the determined purpose of his mind. 

In the early stages of British hostility, though not in commission, 
he was not an inactive spectator. At the battle of Bunker Hill, as a 
volunteer, he was constantly exposed to danger, in reconnoitering 
the movements of the enemy, and his ardent mind was engaged w T ith 
others in preparing those measures that were ultimately to dislodge 
the British troops, from their boasted possession of the capital of 
New England. 

Scarcely had we begun to feel the aggressions of the British arms, 
before it was perceived, that without artillery, of which we were 
then destitute, the most important objects of the war could not be 
accomplished. No resource presented itself, but the desperate expe- 
dient of procuring it from the Canadian frontier. To attempt this, 
in the agitated state of the country, through a wide extent of wilder- 
ness, was an enterprise so replete with toil and danger, that it was 
hardly expected any one would be found hardy enough to encounter 
its perils. Knox, however, saw the importance of the object — he 
saw his country bleeding at every pore, without the power of repelling 
her invaders — he saw the flourishing Capital of the North in the 
possession of an exulting enemy, that we were destitute of the means 
essential to their annoyance, and formed the daring and generous 



236 



HENRY KNOX. 



resolution of supplying the army with ordnance, however formidable 
the obstacles that might oppose him. Young, robust, and vigorous, 
supported by an undaunted spirit, and a mind ever fruitful in resources, 
he commenced his mighty undertaking, almost unattended, in the 
winter of 1775, relying solely for the execution of his object, on 
such aid as he might procure from the thinly scattered inhabitants of 
the dreary region through which he had to pass. Every obstacle of 
season, roads and climate were surmounted by determined persever- 
ance ; — and a few weeks, scarcely sufficient for a journey so remote, 
saw him return laden with ordnance and the stores of war — drawn 
in defiance of every obstacle over the frozen lakes and mountains of 
the north. Most acceptable was this offering to our defenceless 
troops, and most welcome to the commander-in-chief, who well knew 
how to appreciate a service so important. This expedition stamped 
the character of him who performed it for deeds of enterprise and 
daring. He received the most flattering testimony of approbation 
from the commander-in-chief and from Congress, and was in conse- 
quence of this important service appointed to the command of the 
artillery, of which he has thus laid the foundation, — in which com- 
mand he continued with increasing reputation through the revolu- 
tionary war. 

Among the incidents that occurred during the expedition to Canada, 
was his accidental meeting with the unfortunate Andre, whose subse- 
quent fate was so deeply deplored by every man of feeling in both 
nations. His deportment as a soldier and gentleman so far interested 
General Knox in his favor, that he often afterward expressed the 
most sincere regret that he was called by duty to act on the tribunal 
that pronounced his condemnation. 

During the continuance of the war, the corps of artillery was prin- 
cipally employed with the main body of the army, and near the person 
of the commander-in-chief, and was relied on as an essential auxiliary 
in the most important battles. 

Trenton and Princeton witnessed his enterprise and valor. At 
that critical period of our affairs, when hope had almost yielded to 
despair, and the great soul of Washington trembled for his country's 
freedom, Knox was one of those that strengthened his hand, and 
encouraged his heart. At that awful moment, when the tempest 
raged with its greatest fury, he, with Greene and other heroes,, 
stood as pillars of the temple of liberty, till the fury of the storm 
was past. 

The letters of General Knox, still extant, written in the darkest 
periods of the revolution, breathed a spirit of devotedness to the 
cause in which he had embarked, and a firm reliance on the favor of 



BATTLE OF GERMANTOWN. 237 

Divine Providence ; from a perusal of these letters it is evident, that 
he never yielded to despondency, but in the most critical moments 
of the war, confidently anticipated its triumphant issue. 

In the bloody fields of Germantown and Monmouth, without 
derogating from the merits of others, it may be said, that during the 
whole of these hard fought battles, no officer was more distinguished 
for the discharge of the arduous duties of his command ; — in the front 
of the battle, he was seen animating his soldiers and pointing the 
thunder of their cannon. His skill and bravery were so conspicuous 
on the latter occasion, that he received the particular approbation 
of the commander-in-chief, in general orders issued by him the day 
succeeding that of the battle, in which he says, that " the enemy 
have done them the justice to acknowledge, that no artillery could 
be better served than ours." But his great exertions on that occa- 
sion, together with the extreme heat of the day, produced the most 
alarming consequences to his health. To these more important 
scenes, his services were not confined ; with a zeal devoted to our 
cause he was ever at the post of danger — and the immortal hero, 
who stands first on thedist of heroes and of men, has often expressed 
his sense of these services. In every field of battle, where Washing- 
ton fought, Knox was by his side. The confidence of the commander- 
in-chief inspired by early services, was thus matured by succeeding 
events. There can be no higher testimony to his merits, than that 
during a war of so long continuance, passed almost constantly in the 
presence of Washington, he uniformly retained his confidence and 
esteem, which at their separation had ripened into friendship and 
affection. The parting interview between General Knox and his 
illustrious and beloved chief, after the evacuation of New York by 
the British, and Knox had taken possession of it at the head of a 
detachment of our army, was inexpressibly affecting. The hour of 
their separation having arrived, Washington, incapable of utterance, 
grasped his hand and embraced him in silence and in tears. His 
letters, to the last moment of his life, contain the most flattering 
expressions of his unabated friendship. Honorable to himself as had 
been the career of his military services, new laurels were reserved 
for him at the siege of Yorktown. To the successful result of this 
memorable siege, the last brilliant act of our revolutionary contest, 
no officer contributed more essentially than the commander of the 
artillery. His animated exertions, his military skill, his cool and 
determined bravery in this triumphant struggle, received the unani- 
mous approbation of his brethren in arms, and he was immediately 
created major-general by Congress, at the recommendation of the 
commander-in-chief, with the concurrence of the whole army. 



238 



HENRY KNOX. 




West Point. 



The capture of Lord Cornwallis closed the contest at Yorktown, 
and with it his military life. Having contributed so essentially to 
the successful termination of the war, he was selected as one of the 
commissioners to adjust the terms of peace, which service he per- 
formed in conjunction with his colleagues, much to the satisfaction 
of his country. He was deputed to receive the surrender of the city 
of New York, and soon after appointed to the command of West 
Point. It was here that he was employed in the delicate and arduous 
duty of disbanding the army, and inducing a soldiery, disposed to 
turbulence by their privations and sufferings, to retire to domestic 
life, and resume the peaceful character of citizens. 

It is a fact most honorable to his character, that by his countenance 
and support, he rendered the most essential aid to Washington in 
suppressing that spirit of usurpation which had been industriously 
fomented by a few unprincipled and aspiring men, whose aim was 
the subjugation of the country to a military government. No hope 
of political elevation — no nattering assurances of aggrandizement 
could tempt him to build his greatness on the ruin of his country. 

The great objects of the war being accomplished, and peace re- 
stored to our country, General Knox was early, under the confede- 
ration, appointed secretary of war by Congress, ir which office he 
was confirmed by President Washington, after the establishment of 
the federal government. The duties of this office were ultimately 
increased by having those of the navy attached to them — to the 



RETIRES TO PRIVATE LIFE. 



239 




establishment of which his counsel and exertion eminently contri- 
buted. He differed in opinion from some other members of the 
cabinet on this most interesting subject. One of the greatest men 
whom our country has produced, has uniformly declared that he con- 
sidered America much indebted to his efforts for the creation of a 
power which has already so essentially advanced her respectability 
and fame. 

^H' AY1NG filled the office of the war department 
for eleven years, he obtained the reluctant con- 
sent of President Washington to retire, that he 
might give his attention to the claims of a nu- 
merous and increasing family. This retirement 
was in concurrence with the wishes of Mrs. 
Knox, who had accompanied him through the trying vicissitudes of 
war, shared with him its toils and perils, and who was now desirous 
of enjoying the less busy scenes of domestic life. A portion of the 
large estates of her ancestor, General Waldo, had descended to her, 
which he by subsequent purchase increased till it comprised the 
whole Waldo Patent, an extent of thirty miles square, and embracing 
a considerable part of that section of Maine which now consti- 
tutes the counties of Lincoln, Hancock and Penobscot. To these 
estates he retired from all concern in public life, honored as a soldier 
and beloved as a man, devoting much of his time to their settlement 
and improvement. He was induced repeatedly to take a share in 
the government of the state, both in the house of representatives 
and in the council ; in the discharge of those several duties he em- 
ployed his wisdom and experience with the greatest assiduity. 

In 1798, when the French insults and injuries towards this country 
called for resistance, he was one of those selected to command our 
armies, and to protect our liberty and honor from the expected hos- 
tilities of the French Directory : happily for our country their ser- 
vices were not required. 

Retired from the theatre of active life, he still felt a deep interest 
in the prosperity of his country. To that portion of it which he had 
chosen for his residence, his exertions were more immediately directed. 
His views, like his soul, were bold and magnificent, his ardent mind 
could not want the ordinary course of time and events ; it outstrip- 
ped the progress of natural improvement. Had he possessed a cold, 
calculating mind, he might have left behind him the most ample 
wealth ; but he would not have been more highly valued by his 
country, or more beloved by his friends. He died at MbntpeHer, his 
seat in Thomaston, 25th of October, 1806, from sudden interna] 
inflammation, at the age of fifty-six, from the full vigor of health. 



240 HENRY KNOX. 

The great qualities of General Knox were not merely those of the 
hero and the statesman ; with these were combined those of the ele 
gant scholar and the accomplished gentleman. There have been those 
as brave and as learned, but rarely a union of such valor, with so 
much urbanity — a mind so great, yet so free from ostentation. 

Philanthropy filled his heart ; in his benevolence there was no re- 
serve — it was as diffusive as the globe, and extensive as the family 
of man. His feelings were strong and exquisitely tender. In the 
domestic circle they shone with peculiar lustre — here the husband, 
the father and the friend beamed in every smile — and if at any time 
a cloud overshadowed his own spirit, he strove to prevent its influ- 
ence from extending to those that were dear to him. He was frank, 
generous and sincere, and in his intercourse with the world uniformly 
just. His house was the seat of elegant hospitality, and his esti- 
mate of wealth, was its power of diffusing happiness. To the testi- 
mony of private friendship may be added that of less partial strangers, 
who have borne witness both to his public and private virtues. Lord 
Moira, who is now perhaps the greatest general that England can 
boast of, has in a late publication spoken in high terms of his mili- 
tary talents. Nor should the opinion of the Marquis Chattleleux be 
omitted. "As for General Knox," he says, "to praise him for his 
military talents alone, would be to deprive him of half the eulogium 
he merits ; a man of understanding, well-informed, gay, sincere and 
honest — it is impossible to know without esteeming him, or to see 
without loving him. Thus have the English, without intention, added 
to the ornaments of the human species, by awakening talents where 
they least wished or expected." Judge Marshall also, in his life of 
Washington, thus speaks of him : " Throughout the contest of the 
revolution, this officer had continued at the head of the American 
artillery, and from being colonel of a regiment had been promoted 
to the rank of major-general. In this important station he had pre- 
served a high military character, and on the resignation of General 
Lincoln, had been appointed secretary of war. To his great ser- 
vices, and to unquestionable integrity, he was admitted to unite a 
sound understanding ; and the public judgment as well as that of the 
chief magistrate, pronounced him in all respects competent to the 
station he filled. The president was highly gratified in believing that 
his public duty comported with his private inclination, in nominating 
General Knox to the office which had been conferred on him under 
the former government." 





MAJOR GENERAL BENJAMIN LINCOLN. 





ENERAL LINCOLN deserves 
a high rank in ihe fraternity of 
— , American heroes. He was born 
i^ in Hingham, Massachusetts, 
January 23d, O. S. 1733. His 
early education was not auspicious to his 
| future eminence, and his vocation was that 
RHJg of a farmer, till he was more than forty 
^£ years of age, though he was commissioned 
2k as a magistrate, and elected a representa- 
tive in the state legislature. In the year 1775, he sustained the 
office of lieutenant-colonel of militia. In 1776, he was appointed by 

16 241 



242 



BENJAMIN LINCOLN. 



the council of Massachusetts, a brigadier, and soon after a major- 
general, and he applied himself assiduously to training, and preparing 
the militia for actual service in the field, in which he displayed the 
military talents which he possessed. In October, he marched with a 
body of militia and joined the main army at New York. The com- 
mander-in-chief, from a knowledge of his character and merit, recom- 
mended him to Congress as an excellent officer, and in February, 
1777, he was by that honorable body, created a major-general on 
the continental establishment. For several months he commanded a 
division, or detachments in the main army, under Washington, and 
was in situations which required the exercise of the utmost vigilance 
and caution, as well as firmness and courage. Having the command 
of about five hundred men in an exposed situation near Bound Brook, 
through the neglect of his patroles, a large body of the enemy 
approached within two hundred yards of his quarters undiscovered ; 
the general had scarcely time to mount and leave the house before it 
was surrounded. He led off his troops, however, in the face of the 
enemy, and made good his retreat, though with the loss of about 
sixty men killed and wounded. One of his aids, with the general's 
baggage and papers, fell into the hands of the enemy, as did also 
three small pieces of artillery. In July, 1777, General Washington 
selected him to join the northern army under the command of General 
Gates, to oppose the advance of General Burgoyne. He took his 
station at Manchester, in Vermont, to receive and form the New 
England militia, as they arrived, and to order their march to the rear 
of the British army. He detached Colonel Brown with five hundred 
men, on the 13th of September, to the landing at Lake George, 
where he succeeded in surprising the enemy, and took possession of 
two hundred batteaux, liberated one hundred American prisoners, 
and captured two hundred and ninety-three of the enemy, with the 
loss of only three killed and five wounded. This enterprise was of 
the highest importance, and contributed essentially to the glorious 
event which followed. Having detached two other parties to the 
enemy's posts at Mount Independence and Skenesborough, General 
Lincoln united his remaining force with the army under General 
Gates, and was the second in command. During the sanguinary 
conflict on the 7th of October, General Lincoln commanded within 
our lines, and at one o'clock the next morning, he marched with his 
division to relieve the troops that had been engaged, and to occupy 
the battle ground, the enemy having retreated. While on this duty 
he had occasion to ride forward some distance, to reconnoitre, and to 
order some disposition of his own troops, when a party of the enemy 
made an unexpected movement, and he approached within musket 



i 



SERVICE IN THE SOUTH. 243 

shot before he was aware of his mistake. A whole volley of mus- 
ketry was instantly discharged at him and his aids, and he received 
a wound by which the bones of his leg were badly fractured, and he 
was obliged to be carried off the field. The wound was a formidable 
one, and the loss of his limb was for some time apprehended. He 
was for several months confined at Albany, and it became necessary 
to remove a considerable portion of the main bone before he was 
conveyed to his house at Hingham, and under this painful surgical 
operation, the writer of this being present, witnessed in him a degree 
of firmness and patience not to be exceeded. " I have known him," 
says Colonel Rice, who was a member of his military family, " during 
the most painful operation by the surgeon, while bystanders were 
frequently obliged to leave the room, entertain us with some pleasant 
anecdote, or story, and draw forth a smile from his friends." His 
wound continued several years in an ulcerated state, and by the loss 
of the bone, the limb was shortened, which occasioned lameness 
during the remainder of his life. 

General Lincoln certainly afforded very important assistance in 
the capture of Burgoyne, though it was his unfortunate lot, while in 
active duty, to be disabled before he could participate in the capitu- 
lation. Though his recovery was not complete, he repaired to head- 
quarters in the following August, and was joyfully received by the 
commander-in-chief, who well knew how to appreciate his merit. It 
was from a development of his estimable character as a man, and 
his talents as a military commander, that he was designated by Con- 
gress for the arduous duties of the chief command in the southern 
department, under innumerable embarrassments. On his arrival at 
Charleston, December, 1778, he found that he had to form an army, 
provide supplies, and to arrange the various departments, that he 
might be able to cope with an enemy consisting of experienced offi- 
cers and veteran troops. This, it is obvious, required a man of 
superior powers, indefatigable perseverance, and unconquerable 
energy. Had not these been his inherent qualities, Lincoln must 
have yielded to the formidable obstacles which opposed his progress. 
About the 28th of December, General Prevost arrived with a fleet, 
and about three thousand British troops, and took possession of 
Savannah, after routing a small party of Americans, under General 
Robert Howe. General Lincoln immediately put his troops in motion, 
and took post on the eastern side of the river, about twenty miles 
from the city ; but he was not in force to commence offensive opera- 
tions, till the last of February. In April, with the view of covering 
the upper part of Georgia, he marched to Augusta, after which Pre- 
vost, the British commander, crossed the river into Carolina, and 



244 



BENJAMIN LINCOLN. 




Count D 3 staiLg. 

marched for Charleston. General Lincoln, therefore, reerossed the 
Savannah, and followed his route, and on his arrival near the city, 
the enemy had retired from before it during the previous night. A 
detachment of the enemy, supposed to be about six hundred men, 
under Lieutenant-Colonel Maitland, being posted at Stone Ferry, 
where they had erected works for their defence, General Lincoln 
resolved to attack them, which he did on the 19th of June. The 
contest lasted one hour and twenty minutes, in which he lost one 
hundred and sixty men killed and wounded, and the enemy suffered 
about an equal loss. Their works were found to be much stronger 
than had been represented, and our artillery proving too light to 
annoy them, and the enemy receiving a reinforcement, our troops 
were obliged to retire. 

The next event of importance which occurred with our general, 
was the bold assault on Savannah, in conjunction with the Count 
D'Estaing. General Prevost had again possessed himself of that 
city, and Count D'Estaing arrived with his fleet and armament in 
the beginning of September, 1779. Having landed nearly three 



SIEGE OF CHARLESTON. 



245 



thousand French troops, General Lincoln immediately united about 
one thousand men to his force. The prospect of success was highly 
flattering, but the enemy exerted all their efforts in strengthening 
their lines, and after the count had summoned the garrison, and 
while Prevost was about to arrange articles of capitulation, he 
received a reinforcement. It was now resolved to attempt the place 
by a regular siege, but various causes occasioned a delay of several 
days, and when it commenced, the cannonade and bombardment 
failed of producing the desired effect, and the short time allowed the 
count on our coast, was quite insufficient for reducing the garrison 
by regular approaches. The commanders concluded, therefore, to 
make an effort on the works by assault. On the 9th of October, in 
the morning, the troops were led on by D'Estaing and Lincoln 
united, while a column led by Count Dillon missed their route in the 
darkness, and failed of the intended co-operation. Amidst a most 
appalling fire of the covered enemy, the allied troops forced the 
abbatis, and planted two standards on the parapets. But being over- 
powered at the point of attack, they were compelled to retire ; the 
French having seven hundred, the Americans two hundred and forty 
killed and wounded. The Count Pulaski, at the head of a body of 
our horse, was mortally wounded. 

fj^ENERAL LINCOLN next repaired to 
Charleston, and endeavored to put that 
city in a posture of defence, urgently 
requesting of Congress a reinforcement 
of regular troops, and additional sup- 
plies, which were but partially complied 
with. In February, 1780, General Sir 
Henry Clinton arrived, and landed a 
formidable force in the vicinity, and on 
the 30th of March encamped in front 
of the American lines at Charleston. 
Considering the vast superiority of the 
enemy, both in sea and land forces, it might be questioned whether 
prudence and correct judgment would dictate an attempt to defend 
the city ; it will not be supposed, however, that the determination 
was formed without the most mature deliberation, and for reasons 
perfectly justifiable. It is well known that the general was in con- 
tinual expectation of an augmentation of strength by reinforcements. 
On the 10th of April, the enemy having made some advances, sum- 
moned the garrison to an unconditional surrender, which was promptly 
refused. A heavy and incessant cannonade was sustained on each 
6ide, till the 1 1th of May, when the besiegers had completed their 




246 



BENJAMIN LINCOLN. 




Battle Ground of Yorktown. 



third parallel line, and having made a second demand of surrender, a 
capitulation was agreed on. 

It is to he lamented, that with all the judicious and vigorous efforts 
in his power, General Lincoln was requited only by the frowns of 
fortune, whereas had he been successful in his hold enterprise and 
views, he would have been crowned with unfading laurels. But not- 
withstanding a series of disappointments and unfortunate occurrences, 
he was censured by no one, nor was his judgment or merit called in 
question. He retained his popularity, and the confidence of the army, 
and was considered as a most zealous patriot, and the bravest of 
soldiers. 

In the campaign of 1781, General Lincoln commanded a division 
under Washington, and at the siege of Yorktown he had his full 
share of the honor of that brilliant and auspicious event. The articles 
of capitulation stipulated for the same honor in favor of the surrender- 
ing army, as had been granted to the garrison of Charleston. General 
Lincoln was appointed to conduct them to the field where their arms 
were deposited, and received the customary submission. In the 
general order of the commander-in-chief the day after the capitula- 
tion, General Lincoln was among the general officers whose services 
were particularly mentioned. In October, 1781, he was chosen by 
Congress secretary of war, retaining his rank in the army. In this 



LINCOLN QUELLS SHAYS REBELLION. 247 

office he continued till October, 1783, when his proffered resigna- 
tion was accepted by Congress. 

Having relinquished the duties and cares of a public employment, 
he retired and devoted his attention to his farm; but in 1784, he 
was chosen one of the commissioners and agents on the part of the 
state to make and execute a treaty with the Penobscot Indians. When, 
in the year 1786-7, the authority'of the state government of Massa- 
chusetts was in a manner prostrated, and the country alarmed by a 
most audacious spirit of insurrection, under the guidance of Shay and 
Day, General Lincoln was appointed by the governor and council, to 
command a detachment of militia, consisting of four or five thousand 
men, to oppose their progress, and compel them to a submission to 
the laws. He marched from Boston on the 20th of January, into 
the counties of Worcester, Hampshire, and Berkshire, where the 
insurgents had erected their standard. They were embodied in con- 
siderable force, and manifested a determined resistance, and a slight 
skirmish ensued between them and a party of militia under General 
Shepherd. Lincoln, however, conducted with such address and 
energy, that the insurgents were routed from one town to another, 
till they were completely dispersed in all directions ; and by his wise 
and prudent measures the insurrection was happily suppressed with- 
out bloodshed, excepting a few individuals who were slain under 
General Shepherd's command. 

He was a member of the convention for ratifying the federal con- 
stitution, and in the summer of 1789 he received from President 
Washington the appointment of collector of the port of Boston, which 
office he sustained till being admonished by the increasing infirmities 
of age, he requested permission to resign. 

Having, after his resignation of the office of collector, passed about 
two years in retirement and in tranquillity of mind, but experiencing 
the feebleness of age, he received a short attack of disease by which 
his honorable life was terminated on the 9th of May, 1810, aged 
seventy-seven years. 

The following tribute is on the records of the society of Cincinnati. 
" At the annual meeting in July, 1810, Major-General John Brooks 
was chosen president of the society, to supply the place of our 
venerable and much lamented president, General Benjamin Lincoln, 
who had presided over the society from the organization thereof in 
1783, to the 9th of May, 1810, the day of his decease, with the 
entire approbation of every member, and the grateful tribute of his 
surviving comrades, for his happy guidance and affectionate attentions 
during so long a period." 

While at Purysburg, on the Savannah river, a soldier named Fick- 



248 



BENJAMIN LINCOLN. 



ling, having been detected in frequent attempts to desert, was tried 
and sentenced to be hanged. The general ordered the execution. 
The rope broke : a second was procured, which broke also: the case 
was reported to the general for directions. " Let him run," said the 
general, " I thought he looked like a scape-gallows." 

Major Garden, in his Anecdotes of the American Revolution, re- 
lates this story with some addition. It happened that, as Fielding 
was led to execution, the surgeon-general of the army passed acci- 
dentally, on his way to his quarters, which were at some distance. 
When the second rope was procured, the adjutant of the regiment, 
a stout and heavy man, assayed by every means to break it, but 
without effect. Fickling was then haltered and again turned off, 
when, to the astonishment of the bystanders, the rope untwisted, 
and he fell a second time uninjured to the ground. A cry for mercy 
was now general throughout the ranks, which occasioned Mr. Lad- 
son, aid-de-camp to General Lincoln, to gallop to head-quarters, to 
make a representation of facts, which were no sooner stated than 
an immediate pardon was granted, accompanied with an order that 
he should instantaneously be drummed, with every mark of infamy, 
out of camp, and threatened with instant death, if he ever should be 
found attempting to approach it. In the interim, the surgeon-gene- 
ral had established himself at his quarters, in a distant barn, little 
doubting but that the catastrophe was at an end, and Fickling quietly 
resting in his grave. Midnight was at hand, and he was busily en- 
gaged in writing, when hearing the approach of a footstep, he raised 
his eyes, and saw with astonishment the figure of the man who had 
in his opinion been executed, slowly and with haggard countenance 
approaching towards him. " How ! how is this ?" exclaimed the doc- 
tor, " whence come you ? what do you want with me ? were you not 
hanged this morning?" "Yes, sir," replied the resuscitated man, "I 
am the wretch you saw going to the gallows, and who was hanged." 
" Keep your distance," said the doctor, " approach me not, till you 
say why you come here." " Simply, sir," said the supposed spectre, 
" to solicit food. I am no ghost, doctor. The rope broke twice, 
while the executioner was doing his office, and the general thought 
proper to pardon me." " If that be the case," rejoined the doctor, 
" eat and be welcome ; but I beg of you in future to have a little 
more consideration, and not intrude so unceremoniously into the 
apartment of one who had every right to suppose you an inhabitant 
of the tomb." 





COLONEL JOHN LAURENS, 

j^|A^x\^{^;^ON of Henry Laurens, was born in Charles- 
J@ ? ? as ^pf < 'v ^ ton ' m l^ 55 - I n youth he discovered that 
T V\\ energy of character which distinguished him 
' through life. When a lad, though laboring 
under a fever, on the cry of fire, he leaped from his 
bed, hastened to the scene of danger, and was in a 
few minutes on the top of the exposed houses, risk- 
ing his life to arrest the progress of the flames. This is the more 
worthy of notice, for precisely in the same way, and under a similar 
but higher impulse of ardent patriotism, he lost his life in the year 
1782. 

At the age of sixteen he was taken to Europe by his father, and 
there put under the best means of instruction in Geneva, and after- 
ward in London. 

He was entered a student of law at the temple in 1774, and was 
daily improving in legal knowledge till the disputes between Great 
Britain and her colonies arrested his attention. He soon found that 
the claims of the mother country struck at the root of liberty in the 
colonies, and that she perseveringly resolved to enforce these claims 
at every hazard. Fain would he have come out to join his country- 
men in arms at the commencement of the contest ; but the peremp- 

249 



250 



JOHN LAURENS. 



tory order of his father enjoined his continuance in England, to pro- 
secute his studies and finish his education. As a dutiful son he 
obeyed these orders ; but as a patriot burning with desire to defend 
his country, he dismissed Coke, Littleton, and all the tribe of jurists, 
and substituted in their place Vauban, Folard, and other writers on 
war. He also availed himself of the excellent opportunities which 
London affords of acquiring practical knowledge of the manual ex- 
ercise, of tactics, and the mechanism of war. Thus instructed, as 
soon as he was a freeman of legal age, he quitted England for France, 
and by a circuitous voyage in neutral vessels, and at a considerable 
risk made his way good, in the year 1777, to Charleston. 

Independence had been declared — the American army was raised, 
officered, and in the field. He who, by his attainments in general 
science, and particularly in the military art, deserved high rank, had 
no ordinary door left open to serve his country, but by entering in 
the lowest grade of an army abounding with officers. General 
Washington, ever attentive to merit, instantly took him into his 
family as a supernumerary aid-de-camp. Shortly after this appoint- 
ment, he had an opportunity of indulging his military ardor. He 
fought and was wounded in the battle of Germantown, October 4th, 
1777. He continued in General Washington's family in the middle 
states till the British had retreated from Philadelphia to New York, 
and was engaged in the battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778. 

After this, the war being transferred more northwardly, he was 
indulged in attaching himself to the army in Rhode Island, where 
the most active operations were expected soon to take place. There 
he was intrusted with the command of some light troops. The bravery 
and good conduct, which he displayed on this occasion was honored 
by Congress. 

N the 5th of November, 1778, they 
resolved, " that John Laurens, Esq., 
aid-de-camp to General Washington, 
be presented with a continental com- 
mission of lieutenant-colonel, in testimony of 
the sense which Congress entertain of his patri- 
otic and spirited services as a volunteer in the 
American army ; and of his brave conduct in 
several actions, particularly in that of Rhode 
Island, on the 29th of August last ; and that 
General Washington be directed, whenever an opportunity shall 
offer, to give Lieutenant-Colonel Laurens command agreeable to his 
rank." On the next day, a letter from Lieutenant-Colonel Laurens 
was read in Congress, expressing " his gratitude for the unexpected 




SERVICE IN CAROLINA. 251 

honor which Congress were pleased to confer on him by the resolu- 
tion passed the day before ; and the high satisfaction it would have 
afforded him, could he have accepted it without injuring the rights 
of the officers in the line of the army, and doing an evident injustice 
to his colleagues in the family of the commander-in-chief — that 
having been a spectator of the convulsions occasioned in the army 
by disputes of rank, he held the tranquillity of it too dear to be 
instrumental in disturbing it, and therefore entreated Congress to 
suppress the resolve of yesterday, ordering him a commission of 
lieutenant-colonel, and to accept his sincere thanks for the intended 
honor." In this relinquishment there was a victory gained by patriot- 
ism over self-love. Lieutenant-Colonel Laurens loved military fame 
and rank ; but he loved his country more, and sacrificed the former 
to preserve the peace and promote the interests of the latter. 

N the next year the British directed their military 
operations chiefly against the most southern states. 
Lieutenant-Colonel John Laurens was induced by 
double motives to repair to Carolina. The post 
of danger was always the object of his preference. 
His native state was become. the theatre of war. 
To its aid he repaired, and in May, 1779, with a 
party of light troops, had a skirmish with the British 
at Tulifinny. In endeavoring to obstruct their progress towards 
Charleston, he received a wound. This was no sooner cured than 
he rejoined the army, and was engaged in the unsuccessful attack 
on Savannah, on the 9th of October of the same year. To prepare 
for the defence of Charleston, the reduction of which was known to 
be contemplated by the British, was the next object of attention 
among the Americans. To this Colonel Laurens devoted all the 
energies of his active mind. 

In the progress of the siege, which commenced in 1780, the 
success of defensive operations became doubtful. Councils of war 
were frequent — several of the citizens were known to wish for a 
surrender as a termination of their toils and dangers. In these 
councils and on proper occasions, Colonel Laurens advocated the 
abandonment of the front lines, and to retire to new ones, to be 
erected within the old ones, and to risk an assault. When these 
spirited measures were opposed on the suggestion that the inhabit- 
ants preferred a capitulation, he declared that he would direct his 
sword to the heart of the first citizen who would urge. a capitulation 
against the opinion of the commander-in-chief. 

When his superior officers, convinced of the inefficacy of further 
resistance, were disposed to surrender on terms of capitulation, he 




252 



JOHN LAURENS. 



yielded to the necessity of the case, and became a prisoner of war. 
This reverse of fortune opened a new door for serving his country 
in a higher line than he ever yet had done. He was soon exchanged, 
and reinstated in a capacity for acting. In expediting his exchange, 
Congress had the ulterior view of sending him as a special minister 
to Paris, that he might urge the necessity of a vigorous co-operation 
on the part of France with the United States against Great Britain. 
When this was proposed to Colonel Laurens, he recommended and 
urged that Colonel Alexander Hamilton should be employed in pre- 
ference to himself. Congress adhered to their first choice. 

Colonel Laurens sailed for France in the latter end of 1780 : and 
there in conjunction with Dr. Franklin, and Count de Vergennes, and 
Marquis de Castries, arranged the plan of the campaign for 1781 ; 
which eventuated in the surrender of Lord Cormvallis, and finally 
in a termination of the war. Within six months from the day Lau- 
rens left America, he returned to it, and brought with him the con- 
certed plan of combined operations. Ardent to rejoin the army, 
he was indulged with making a verbal report of his negotiations to 
Congress ; and in three days set out to resume his place as one of 
the aids of Washington. The American and French army, about this 
time commenced the siege of Yorktown. In the course of it, Colonel 
Laurens, as second in command, with his fellow aid, Colonel Hamil- 
ton, assisted in storming and taking an advanced British redoubt, 
which expedited the surrender of Lord Cornwallis. The articles of 
capitulation were arranged by Colonel Laurens on behalf of the 
Americans. Charleston and a part of South Carolina still remained 
in the power of the British. Colonel Laurens deeming nothing done 
while any thing remained undone, repaired on the surrender of Lord 
Cornwallis to South Carolina, and joined the army under General 
Greene. In the course of the summer of 1782 be caught a common 
fever, and was sick in bed when an expedition was undertaken against 
a party of British, which had gone to Combahee to carry off rice. 
Laurens rose from his sick bed and joined his countrymen. While 
leading an advanced party, he received a shot, which, on the 27th of 
August, 1782, put an end to his valuable life in the twenty-seventh 
year of his age. — His many virtues have been ever since the subject 
of eulogy, and his early fall, of national lamentation. 





MAJOR GENERAL CHARLES LEE. 





ENERAL LEE was an original 
genius, possessing the most 
brilliant talents, great military 
powers, and extensive intelli- 
gence and knowledge of the 
world. He was bom in Wales, his family 
springing from the same parent stock with 
the Earl of Leicester. 

He may properly be called a child of 
Mars, for he was an officer when but eleven 
years old. His favorite study was the 
science of war, and his warmest wish was to become distinguished 
in it ; but though possessed of a military spirit, he was ardent in the 

253 



254 



CHARLES LEE. 




General Afaercronibie's Arniy c 



George. 



pursuit of general knowledge. He acquired a competent skill in 
Greek and Latin, while his fondness for travelling made him 
acquainted with the Italian, Spanish, German, and French languages. 

In 1756, he came to America, captain of a company of grenadiers, 
and crossed Lake George with the army, and was present at the 
defeat of General Abercrombie, at Ticonderoga, where he received 
a severe wound. In 1762, he bore a colonel's commission, and 
served under Burgoyne in Portugal, where he greatly distinguished 
himself, and received the strongest recommendations for his gallantry ; 
but his early attachment to the American colonies, evinced in his 
writings against the oppressive acts of parliament, lost him the favor 
of the ministry. Despairing of promotion, and despising a life of 
inactivity, he left his native soil and entered into the service of his 
Polish majesty, as one of his aids, with the rank of major-general. 

His rambling disposition led him to travel all over Europe, during 
the years of 1771, 1772, and part of 1773, and his warmth of temper 
drew him into several rencounters, among which was an affair of 
honor with an officer in Italy. The contest was begun with swords, 
when the general lost two of his fingers. Recourse was then had to 
pistols. His adversary was slain, and he was obliged to flee from 
the country, in order that he might avoid the unpleasant circum- 
stances which might result from this unhappy circumstance. 

General Lee appeared to be influenced by an innate principle of 
republicanism ; an attachment to these principles was implanted in 
the constitution of his mind, and he espoused the cause of America 
as a champion of her emancipation from oppression. 



LEE APPOINTED A MAJOR GENERAL. 255 

Glowing with these sentiments, he embarked for this country, and 
arrived at New York on the 10th of November, 1773. On his 
arrival, h« became daily more enthusiastic in the cause of liberty, 
and travelled rapidly through the colonies, animating the people, 
both by conversation and his eloquent pen, to a determined and 
persevering resistance to British 'tyranny. 

His enthusiasm in favor of the rights of the colonies was such, that, 
after the battle of Lexington, he accepted a major-general's commis- 
sion in the American army ; though his ambition had pointed out to 
him the post of commander-in-chief, as the object of his wishes. 
Previous to this, however, he resigned his commission in the British 
service, and relinquished his half-pay. This he did in a letter to the 
British secretary at war, in which he expressed his disapprobation 
of the oppressive measures of Parliament, declaring them to be so 
absolutely subversive of the rights and liberties of every individual 
subject, so destructive to the whole empire at large, and ultimately, 
so ruinous to his majesty's own person, dignity, and family, that he 
thought himself obliged in conscience, as a citizen, an Englishman, 
and soldier of a free state, to exert his utmost to defeat them. 

Immediately upon receiving his appointment, he accompanied 
General Washington to the camp at Cambridge, where he arrived 
July 2d, 1775, and was received with every mark of respect. 

As soon as it was discovered at Cambridge that the British General 
Clinton had left Boston, General Lee was ordered to set forward, to 
observe his manoeuvres, and prepare to meet him in any part of the 
continent he might visit. No man was better qualified, at this early 
state of the war, to penetrate the designs of the enemy, than Lee. 
Nursed in the camp, and well versed in European tactics, the soldiers 
believed him, of all other officers, the best able to face in the field 
an experienced British veteran, and lead them on to victory. 

New York was supposed to be the object of the enemy, and hither 
he hastened with all possible expedition. Immediately on his 
arrival, Lee took the most active and prompt measures to put it in a 
state of defence. He disarmed all suspected persons within the 
reach of his command, and proceeded with such rigor against the 
tories, as to give alarm at his assumption of military powers. From 
the tories he exacted a strong oath, and his bold measures carried 
terror wherever he appeared. 

Not long after he was appointed to the command of the southern 
department, and in his travels through the country, he received 
every testimony of high respect from the people. General Sir 
Henry Clinton and Sir Peter Parker, with a powerful fleet and army, 
attempted the reduction of Charleston, while he was in the command. 



256 



CHARLES LEE. 




Sir Feter Parker. 

The fleet anchored within half musket shot of the fort on Sullivan's 
Island, where Colonel Moultrie, one of the bravest and most intrepid 
of men, commanded. A tremendous engagement ensued on the 
28th of June, 1776, which lasted twelve hours without intermission. 
The whole British force was completely repulsed, after suffering an 
irreparable loss. 

Genera] Lee and Colonel Moultrie received the thanks of Congress 
for their signal bravery and gallantry. 

Our hero had now reached the pinnacle of his military glory ; the 
eclat of his name alone appeared to enchant and animate the most 
desponding heart. But here we pause to contemplate the humiliating 
reverse of human events. He returned to the main army in October ; 
and in marching at the head of a large detachment through the 
Jerseys, having, from a desire of retaining a separate command, 
delayed his march several days, in disobedience of express orders 



CAPTURE OF LEE. 



257 




General Lee*8 Head-quartera at Baskingridge. 

from the commander-in-chief, he was guilty of most culpable negli- 
gence in regard to his personal security. He took up his quarters 
two or three miles from the main body, and lay for the night, 
December 13th, 1776, in a careless, exposed situation. Information 
of this being communicated to Colonel Harcourt, who commanded 
the British light horse, he proceeded immediately to the house which 
was Genera] Lee's head-quarters at Baskingridge, fired into it, and 
obliged the general to surrender himself a prisoner. They mounted 
him on a horse in haste, without his cloak or hat, and conveyed him 
in triumph to New York. 

Lee was treated, while a prisoner, with great severity by the 
enemy, who affected to consider him as a state prisoner and deserter 
from the service of his Britannic majesty, and denied him the privi- 
leges of an American officer. General Washington promptly retaliated 
the treatment received by Lee upon the British officers in his pos- 
session. This state of things existed until the capture of Burgoyne, 
when a complete change of treatment was observed towards Lee ; 
and he was shortly afterward exchanged. 

The first military act of General Lee, after his exchange, closed 
his career in the American army. Previous to the battle of Mon- 
mouth, his character in general was respectable. From the begin- 
ning of the contest, his unremitted zeal in the cause of America 

17 



258 CHARLES LEE. 

excited and directed the military spirit of the whole continent ; and 
his conversation inculcated the principles of liberty among all ranks 
of the people. 

His important services excited the warm gratitude of many of the 
friends of America. Hence it is said that a strong party was formed 
in Congress, and by some discontented officers in the army, to raise 
Lee to the first command : and it has been suggested by many that 
General Lee's conduct at the battle of Monmouth was intended to 
effect this plan : for could the odium of the defeat have been at this 
time thrown on General Washington, there is great reason to sup- 
pose that he would have been deprived of his command. 

It is now to be seen how General Lee terminated his military 
career. In the battle of Monmouth, on the 28th of June, 1778, he 
commanded the van of the American troops, with orders from the 
commander-in-chief to attack the retreating enemy. Instead of 
obeying this order, he conducted in an unworthy manner, and greatly 
disconcerted the arrangements of the day. Washington, advancing 
to the field of battle, met him in his disorderly retreat, and accosted 
him with strong expressions of disapprobation. Lee, incapable of 
brooking even an implied indignity, and unable to restrain the warmth 
of his resentment, used improper language in return, and some irri- 
tation was excited on both sides. The following letters immediately 
after passed between Lee and the commander-in-chief. 

Camp, Ewgiish Towjr,7 
1st July, 1778. 5 

Sir — From the knowledge that I have of your Excellency's cha- 
racter, I must conclude that nothing but the misinformation of some 
very stupid, or misrepresentation of some very wicked person, could 
have occasioned your making use of such very singular expressions 
as you did, on my coming up to the ground where you had taken 
post : they implied that I was guilty either of disobedience of or- 
ders, want of conduct, or want of courage. Your excellency will, 
therefore, infinitely oblige me by letting me know on which of these 
three articles you ground your charge, that I may prepare for my 
justification ; which I have the happiness to be confident I can do, 
to the army, to Congress, to America, and to the world in general. 
Your Excellency must give me leave to observe, that neither your- 
self, nor those about your person, could, from your situation, be in 
the least judges of the merits or demerits of our manoeuvres ; and, 
to speak with a becoming pride, I can assert that to these manoeuvres 
the success of the day was entirely owing. I can boldly say, that, 
had we remained on the first ground — or had we advanced — or had 
the retreat been conducted in a manner different from what it was, 



CORRESPONDENCE WITH WASHINGTON. 259 

this whole army, and the interests of America would have risked 
being sacrificed. I ever had, and I hope ever shall have the greatest 
respect and veneration for General Washington ; I think him en- 
dowed with many great and good qualities : but in this instance I 
must pronounce that he has been guilty of an act of cruel injustice 
towards a man who had certainly some pretensions to the regard of 
every servant of his country ; and I think, sir, I have a right to de- 
mand some reparation for the injury committed ; and unless I can 
obtain it, I must in justice to myself, when the campaign is closed, 
which I believe will close the war, retire from a service at the head 
of which is placed a man capable of offering such injuries; but at 
the same time, in justice to you, I must repeat that I from my soul 
believe that it was not a motion of your own breast, but instigated 
by some of those dirty earwigs who will forever insinuate themselves 
near persons in high office ; for I am really assured that, when Gene- 
ral Washington acts from himself, no man in his army will have 
reason to complain of injustice and indecorum. 

I am, sir, and I hope ever shall have reason to continue, 

Yours, &c. 

Charles Lee. 

His Excy Gen. Washington. 

Head-Quarters, English Town, 7 
28th June, 1778. j 

Sir — I received your letter, dated through mistake the first of 
July, expressed, as I conceive, in terms highly improper. I am not 
conscious of having made use of any singular expressions at the time 
of my meeting you, as you intimate. What I recollect to have said 
was dictated by duty, and warranted by the occasion. As soon as 
circumstances will admit, you shall have an opportunity, either of 
justifying yourself to the army, to Congress, to America, and to the 
world in general, or of convincing them that you are guilty of a 
breach of orders, and of misbehavior before the enemy on the 28th 
instant, in not attacking them as you had been directed, and in 
making an unnecessary, disorderly, and shameful retreat. 
I am, sir, 

Your most obedient servant, 

G. Washington. 

A court martial, of which Lord Stirling was president, was ordered 
for his trial, and after a masterly defence by General Lee, found him 
guilty of all the charges, and sentenced him to be suspended from 
any command in the army for the term of twelve months. This 
sentence was shortly afterwards confirmed by Congress. 



260 



CHARLES LEE. 



When promulgated, it was like a mortal wound to the lofty, aspir- 
ing spirit of General Lee ; pointing to his dog he exclaimed — " Oh 
that I was that animal, that I might not call man my brother." He 
became outrageous, and from that moment he was more open and 
virulent in his attack on the character of the commander-in-chief, 
and did not cease in his unwearied endeavors, both in conversation 
and writings, to lessen his reputation in the army,, and the public. 
He was an active abettor of General Conway, in his calumny and 
abuse of General Washington, and they were believed to be in con- 
cert in their vile attempts to supersede his Excellency in the supreme 
command. With the hope of effecting his nefarious purpose, he 
published a pamphlet replete with scurrilous imputations unfavorable 
to the military talents of the commander-in-chief, but this, with hia 
other malignant allegations, was consigned to contempt. 

At length, Colonel Laurens, one of General Washington's aids, 
unable longer to suffer this gross abuse of his illustrious friend, 
demanded of Lee that satisfaction which custom has sanctioned as 
honorable. A recounter accordingly ensued, and Lee received a 
wound in his side. 

EE now finding himself abandoned by 
his friends, degraded in the eye of the 
public, and despised by the wise and 
virtuous, retired to his sequestered 
plantation in Virginia. In this spot, secluded 
from all society, he lived in a sort of hovel 
without glass windows or plastering, or even 
a decent article of house furniture ; here he 
amused himself with his books and dogs. On 
January 18th, 1780, Congress resolved that 
Major-General Lee be informed that they have no further occasion 
for his services in the army of the United States. In the autumn of 
1782, wearied with his forlorn situation, and broken spirit, he 
resorted to Philadelphia, and took lodgings in an ordinary tavern. 
He was soon seized with a disease of the lungs, and after a few days 
confinement, he terminated his mortal course, a martyr to chagrin 
and disappointment, October 2d, 1782. The last words which he 
was heard to utter, were, " stand by me, my brave grenadiers." 

General Lee was rather above the middle size, " plain in his per- 
son even to ugliness, and careless in his manners even to a degree 
of rudeness ; his nose was so remarkably aquiline that it appeared 
as a real deformity. His voice was rough, his garb ordinary, his de- 
portment morose. He was ambitious of fame, without the dignity 
to support it. In private life he sunk into the vulgarity of the 




ANECDOTE OF LEE. 



261 



clown. 1 ' His remarkable partiality for dogs was such, that a number 
of these animals constantly followed in his train, and the ladies com- 
plained that he allowed his canine adJierente to follow him into the 
parlor, and not unfrequently a favorite one might be seen on a chair 
next his elbow at table. 

In the year 1776, when our army lay at White Plains, Lee resided 
near the road which General Washington frequently passed, and he 
one day with his aids called and took dinner; after they had de- 
parted, Lee said to his aids, " You must look me out other quarters, 
or I shall have Washington and his puppies calling till they eat me 
up." The next day he ordered his servant to write with chalk on 
the door, " No victuals cooked here to-day." The company, seeing 
the hint on the door, passed by with a smile at the oddity of the 
man. " The character of this person," says one who knew him 
well, " is full of absurdities and qualities of a most extraordinary 
nature." 

While in Philadelphia, shortly before his death, the following 
ludicrous circumstance took place, which created no small diversion. 
HE late Judge Brackenridge, whose poignancy of 
[^ satire and eccentricity of character was nearly 
a match for that of the general, had dipped his 
pen in some gall, which greatly irritated Lee's 
feelings, insomuch that he challenged him to single 
combat, which Brackenridge declined in a very 
eccentric reply. Lee, having furnished himself 
with a horsewhip, determined to chastise him ignominiously on the 
very first opportunity. Observing Brackenridge going down Market 
street, a few days after, he gave him chase, and Brackenridge took 
refuge in a public house, and barricaded the door of the room he 
entered. A number of persons collected to see the result. Lee 
damned him, and invited him to come out and fight him like a man. 
Brackenridge replied that he did not like to be shot at, and made 
some other curious observations, which only increased Lee's irrita- 
tion and the mirth of the spectators. Lee, with the most bitter 
imprecation, ordered him to come out, when he said he would horse- 
whip him. Brackenridije replied, that he had no occasion for a dis- 
cipline of that kind. The amusing scene lasted some time, until at 
length Lee, finding that he could accomplish no other object than 
calling forth Brackenridge's wit for the amusement of the by-standers, 
retired. 

General Lee was master of a most genteel address, but was rude 
in his manners, and excessively negligent in his appearance and be- 
havior. His appetite was so whimsical that he was everywhere a 




262 



CHARLES LEE. 



most troublesome guest. Two or three dogs usually followed him 
wherever he went. As an officer he was brave and able, and did 
much towards disciplining the American army. With vigorous powers 
of mind, and a brilliant fancy, he w^as a correct and elegant classical 
scholar, and he both wrote and spoke his native language with propriety, 
force and beauty. His temper was severe ; the history of his life is 
little else than the history of disputes, quarrels and duels, in every part 
of the world. He was vindictive, avaricious, immoral, impious and 
profane. His principles, as would be expected from his character, 
were most abandoned, and be ridiculed every tenet of religion. Two 
virtues he possessed to an eminent degree, sincerity and veracity. It 
was notorious that General Lee was a man of unbounded personal 
ambition, and, conscious of his European education, and pre-eminent 
military talents and prowess, he affected a superiority over General 
Washington, and constantly aimed at the supreme command, little 
scrupulous as to the means employed to accomplish his own advance- 
ment 

The following is an extract from General Lee's will. 

" I desire most earnestly that I may not be buried in any church or 
church yard, or within a mile of any Presbyterian or Anabaptist 
meeting-house, for since I have resided in this country, I have kept 
so much bad company while living, that I do not choose to continue 
it while dead." 





Head-Quarters at Govranus, Brooklyn, .Long Island. 



MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM ALEXANDER. 





ENERAL WILLIAM ALEX 
ANDER, commonly called 
Lord Stirling, was a native of 
the city of New York. He 
was considered, by many, as 
the rightful heir to the title and estate cf 
an earldom in Scotland, of which country 
his father was a native ; and although 
when he went to North Britain in pursuit 
of this inheritance, he failed of obtaining 
an acknowledgment of his claim by govern- 
ment, yet, among his friends and acquaint- 
ances, he received, by courtesy, the title of Lord Stirling. In his 
youth his labors were arduous in the pursuit of science, and he dis- 
covered an early fondness for the study of mathematics and astronomy, 
in which he attained great eminence. 

At the commencement of the revolutionary war, he attached him- 
self to the cause of America, and entered the field against her enemies. 
He was a brave, discerning, and intrepid officer. In the battle on 
Long Island, August 27th, 1776, he shared largely in the glory and 
disasters of the day. The part he bore in that engagement is 
described as follows : — " The fire towards Brooklyn gave the first 
intimation to the American right that the enemy had gained their 
rear. Lord Stirling, perceiving the danger with which he was 
threatened, and that he could only escape it by instantly retreating 

263 



264 WILLIAM ALEXANDER. 

across the creek, by the Yellow Mills, not far from the cove, orders 
to this effect were immediately given, and the more effectually to 
secure the retreat of the main body of the detachment, he deter- 
mined to attack, in person, a corps of the British, under Lord Corn- 
wallis, stationed at a house somewhat above the place at which he 
proposed crossing' the creek. About four hundred men were chosen 
out for this purpose ; and the attack was made with great spirit. 
This small corps was brought up to the charge several times, and 
Lord Stirling stated that he was on the point of dislodging Lord 
Cornwallis from his post ; but the force in his front increasing, and 
General Grant also advancing on his rear, the brave men he com- 
manded were no longer able to oppose the superior numbers which 
assailed them on every quarter, and those who survived were, with 
their general, made prisoners of war. This bold and well judged 
attempt, though unsuccessful, was productive of great advantages. 
It gave an opportunity to a large part of the detachment, to save 
themselves by crossing the creek. 

Immediately after his exchange, Lord Stirling joined the army 
under the immediate command of General Washington. In the 
battle of Germantown, his division, and the brigade of Generals Nash 
and Maxwell, formed the corps of reserve. At the battle of Mon- 
mouth, he commanded the left wing of the American army. At an 
important period of the engagement, he brought up a detachment of 
artillery, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Carrington, with some 
field pieces, which played with great effect on the enemy, who were 
pressing on to the charge. These pieces, with the aid of several 
parties of infantry, detached for the purpose, effectually put a stop to 
their advance. The American artillery maintained their ground with 
admirable firmness, under a heavy fire from the British field artillery. 

His attachment to Washington was proved in the latter part of 
1777, by transmitting to him an account of the disaffection of 
General Conway to the commander-in-chief. In the letter, he said, 
" such wicked duplicity of conduct I shall always think it my duty 
to detect." 

He died at Albany, January 15th, 1783, aged fifty-seven years. 





BRIGADIER GENERAL WILLIAM DAVIDSON. 




[HE distinguished officer, William Davidson, lieutenant- 
colonel commandant in the North Carolina line, and 
brigadier-general in the militia of that state, was the 
youngest son of George Davidson, who removed with 
his family from Lancaster county, in Pennsylvania, in 
the year 1750, to Rowan county, in North Carolina. 

William was born in the year 1746, and was educated in a plain 
country manner, at an academy in Charlotte, the county town of 
Mecklenburgh, which adjoins Rowan. 

Like most of the enterprising youth of America, Davidson repaired 
to the standard of his country, on the commencement of the revolu- 
tionary war, and was appointed a major in one of the first regiments 
formed by the government of North Carolina. 

In this character he marched with the North Carolina line, under 
Brigadier-General Nash, to the main army in New Jersey, where he 
served under the commander-in-chief, until the North Carolina line 
was detached in November, 1779, to reinforce the southern army 
commanded by Major-General Lincoln. Previous to this event, 
Major Davidson was promoted to the command of a regiment, with 
the rank of lieutenant-colonel commandant. 

As he passed through North Carolina, Davidson obtained permis- 
sion to visit his family, from which he had been absent nearly three 
years. The delay produced by this visit saved him from captivity 
as he found Charleston so closely invested when he arrived in its 
neighborhood, as to prevent his rej unction with his regiment. 

265 



266 



WILLIAM DAVIDSON. 




\OON after the surrender of General Lincoln and 
his army, the loyalists of North Carolina, not 
doubting the complete success of the royal 
forces, began to embody themselves for the 
purpose of contributing their active aid in 
"the field to the subsequent operations of the 
British general. They were numerous in the 
western parts of the state, and especially in the highland settlement 
about Cross creek. Lieutenant-Colonel Davidson put himself at the 
head of some of our militia, called out to quell the expected insurrec- 
tion. He proceeded with vigor in the execution of his trust ; and in 
an engagement with a party of loyalists near Calson's mill, he was 
severely wounded ; the ball entered the umbilical region, and passed 
through his body near the kidneys. This confined him for eight 
weeks ; when recovering, he instantly took the field, having been 
recently appointed brigadier-general by the government of North 
Carolina, in the place of Brigadier-General Rutherford, taken at the 
battle of Camden. He exerted himself, in conjunction with General 
Sumpter and Colonel Davie, to interrupt the progress of Lord Corn- 
wallis in his advance towards Salisbury, and throughout that event- 
ful period, gave unceasing evidences of his zeal and firmness in 
upholding his falling country. 

After the victory obtained by Morgan at the Cowpens, Davidson 
was among the most active of his countrymen in assembling the 
militia of his district, to enable General Greene, who had joined the 
light corps under Morgan, to stop the progress of the advancing 
enemy, and was detached by General Greene, on the night of the last 
day of January, to guard the very ford selected by Lord Cornwallis 
for his passage of the Catawba river on the next morning. Davidson 
possessed himself of the post in the night, at the head of three hun- 
dred men ; and having placed a picket near the shore, stationed his 
corps at some small distance from the ford. 

General Henry Lee, from whose memoirs of the war in the southern 
department of the United States, we copy the present sketch of 
General Davidson, gives the following account of the battle : 

" A disposition was immediately made to dislodge Davidson, which 
the British General O'Hara, with the guards, effected. Lieutenant- 
Colonel Hall, led with the light company, followed by the grenadiers. 
The current was rapid, the stream waist deep, and five hundred yards 
in width. The soldiers crossed in platoons, supporting each other's 
steps. When Lieutenant-Colonel Hall reached the river, he was 
descried by the American sentinels, whose challenge and fire brought 
Davidson's corps into array. Deserted by his guide, Hall passed 



GENERAL DAVIDSON'S CHARACTER. 267 

directly across, not knowing the landing place, which lay below him. 
This deviation from the common course, rendered it necessary for 
Davidson to incline to the right ; but this manoeuvre, although 
promptly performed, was not effected until the light infantry had 
gained the shore. A fierce conflict ensued, which was well supported 
by Davidson and his inferior force. The militia at length yielded, 
and Davidson, while mounting his horse to direct the retreat, was 
killed. The corps dispersed and sought safety in the woods. Our 
loss was small excepting General Davidson, an active, zealous, and 
influential officer. The British Lieutenant-Colonel Hall was also 
killed, with three of the light infantry, and thirty-six were wounded. 
Lord Cornwallis's horse was shot under him, and fell as soon as he 
got upon the shore. Leslie's horses were carried down the stream, 
and with difficulty saved ; and O'Hara's tumbled over with him into 
the water." 

The loss of Brigadier-General Davidson would always have been 
felt in any stage of the war. It was particularly detrimental in its 
effect at this period, as he was the chief instrument relied upon by 
General Greene for the assemblage of the militia ; an event all 
important at this crisis, and anxiously desired by the American 
general. The ball passed through his breast, and he instantly fell 
dead. 

This promising soldier was thus lost to his country in the meridian 
of life, and at a moment when his services would have been highly 
beneficial to her. He was a man of popular manners, pleasing address, 
active and indefatigable. Enamored with the profession of arms, 
and devoted to the great cause for which he fought, his future use- 
fulness may be inferred from his former conduct. 

The Congress of the United States, in gratitude for his services, 
and in commemoration of their sense of his worth, passed a resolu- 
tion directing the erection of a monument to his memory. 






COLONEL WILLIAM RICHARDSON DAVIE, 

COMMANDANT OF THE STATE CAVALRY OF NORTH CAROLINA. 

JOLONEL DAVIE was born in 
the village of Egremont, in Eng- 
land, on the 20th June, 1759. 
His father, visiting South Caro- 
lina soon after the peace of 
1763, brought with him his son ; and return- 
ing to England, confided him to the Rev. 
William Richardson, his maternal uncle ; 
who, becoming much attached to his nephew, 
not only took charge of his education, but 
adopted him as his son and heir. At the 
proper age, William was sent to an academy in North Carolina, 
from whence he was, after a few years, removed to the college of 
Nassau Hall, in Princeton, New Jersey, then becoming the resort of 
most of the southern youth, under the auspices of the learned and 
respectable Dr. Witherspoon. Here he finished his education, 
graduating in the autumn of 1776, a year memorable in our military 
as well as civil annals. 

Returning home, young Davie found himself shut out for a time 
from the army, as the commissions for the troops just levied had 
268 



SERVICE IN CAROLINA. 269 

been issued. He went to Salisbury, where he commenced the study 
of law. The war continuing, contrary to the expectations which 
generally prevailed when it began, Davie could no longer resist the 
wish to plant himself among the defenders of his country. Inducing 
a worthy and popular friend, rather too old for military service, to 
raise a troop of dragoons as the readiest mode of accomplishing his 
object, Davie obtained a lieutenancy in this troop. Without delay 
the captain joined the southern army, and soon afterwards returned 
home on a furlough. The command of the troop devolving on 
Lieutenant Davie, it was, at his request, annexed to the legion of 
Count Pulaski, where Captain Davie continued, until promoted by 
Major-General Lincoln to the station of brigade major of cavalry. 
In this office Davie served until the affair at Stono, devoting his 
leisure to the acquirement of professional knowledge, and rising fast 
in the esteem of the general and army. When Lincoln attempted 
to dislodge Lieutenant-Colonel Maitland from his intrenched camp 
on the Stono, Davie received a severe wound, and was removed 
from camp to the hospital in Charleston, where he was confined 
five months. 

Soon after his recovery he was empowered by the government of 
North Carolina to raise a small legionary corps, consisting of one 
troop of dragoons and two companies of mounted infantry, at the head 
of which he was placed with the rank of major. 

Quickly succeeding in completing his corps, in whose equipment 
he expended the last remaining shilling of an estate bequeathed to 
him by his uncle, he took the field, and was sedulously engaged in 
protecting the country between Charlotte and Camden from the 
enemy's predatory excursions. On the fatal 19th of August he was 
hastening with his corps to join the army, when he met our dispersed 
and flying troops. He nevertheless continued to advance toward 
the conqueror ; and by his prudence, zeal, and vigilance, saved a few 
of our wagons, and many of our stragglers. Acquainted with the 
movement of Sumpter, and justly apprehending that he would be 
destroyed unless speedily advised of the defeat of Gates, he despatched 
immediately a courier to that officer, communicating what had hap- 
pened, performing in the midst of distress and confusion, the part of 
an experienced captain. 

So much was his conduct respected by the government of North 
Carolina, that he was in the course of September promoted to the 
rank of colonel commandant of the cavalry of the state. 

At the two gloomiest epochs of the southern war, soon after the 
fall of Charleston and the overthrow of Gates, it was the good 
fortune of Colonel Davie, to be the first to shed a gleam through the 




270 WILLIAM R. DAVIE. 

surrounding darkness, and give hope to the country by the brilliancy 
of his exploits. In one instance, without loss or injury on his part, 
he entirely destroyed an escort of provisions, taking forty prisoners, 
with their horses and arms. In the other, under the immediate eye 
of a large British force, which was actually beating to arms, to 
attack him, he routed a party stronger than his own, killing and 
wounding sixty of the enemy, and carrying off with him ninety-six 
horses, and one hundred and twenty stand of arms. 

When Lord Cornwallis entered Charlotte, a small village in North 
Carolina, Colonel Davie, at the head of his detachment, threw him- 
self in his front, determined to give him a specimen of the firmness 
and gallantry, with which the inhabitants of the place were prepared 
to dispute with his lordship their native soil. 

OLONEL Tarlton's legion formed the British van, 
led by Major Hanger, the commander himself being 
confined by sickness. When that celebrated corps 
had advanced near to the centre of the village, 
where the Americans were posted, Davie poured 
into it so destructive a fire, that it immediately 
wheeled, and retired in disorder. Being rallied on 
the commons, and again led on to the charge, it received on the spot 
another fire with similar effect. 

Lord Cornwallis, witnessing the confusion thus produced among 
his choicest troops, rode up in person, and in a tone of dissatisfac- 
tion, upbraided the legion with unsoldierly conduct, reminding it of 
its former exploits and reputation. 

Pressed on his flanks by the British infantry, Colonel Davie had 
now fallen back to a new and well selected position. To dislodge 
him from this, the legion cavalry advanced on him- a third time, in 
rapid charge, in full view of their commander-in-chief, but in vain. 
Another fire from the American marksmen killed several of their 
officers, wounded Major Hanger, and repulsed them again with in- 
creased confusion. 

The main body of the British being now within musket shot, the 
American leader abandoned the contest. 

It was by strokes like these that he seriously crippled and intimi- 
dated his enemy, acquired an elevated standing in the estimation of 
his friends, and served very essentially the interest of freedom. 

In this station he was found by General Greene, on assuming the 
command of the southern army ; whose, attention had been occupied 
from his entrance into North Carolina, in remedying the disorder in 
the quartermaster and commissary departments. To the first, Car- 
rington had been called ; and Davie was now induced to take upon 



SIEGE OF NINETY-SIX. 271 

himself the last, much as he preferred the station he then possessed. 
At the head of this department, Colonel Davie remained throughout 
the trying campaign which followed ; contributing greatly by his 
talents, his zeal, his local knowledge, and his influence, to the main- 
tenance of the difficult and successful operations which followed. 
While before Ninety-Six, Greene, foreseeing the difficulties again to 
be encountered, in consequence of the accession of force to the 
enemy by the arrival of three regiments of infantry from Ireland, 
determined to send a confidential officer to the legislature of North 
Carolina, then in session, to represent to them his relative condition, 
and to urge their adoption of effectual measures without delay, for 
the collection of magazines of provisions and the reinforcement of 
the army. Colonel Davie was selected by Greene for this important 
mission, and immediately repaired to the seat of government, where 
he ably and faithfully exerted himself to give effect to the views of 
his general. 

The effect of the capture of Cornwallis assuring the quick return 
of peace, Colonel Davie returned home, and resumed the profession 
with the practice of the law in the town of Halifax, on the Roanoke. 

He was afterward governor of North Carolina, and one of our 
ambassadors to France, at a very portentous conjuncture. 

The war in the south was ennobled by great and signal instances 
of individual and partisan valor and enterprise. Scarcely do the 
most high-drawn heroes of fiction surpass, in their daring and ex- 
traordinary achievements, many of the real ones of Pickens, Marion, 
Sumpter and Davie, who figured in the southern states during the 
conflict of the revolution. 

Colonel Davie, although younger by several years, possessed 
talents of a higher order, and was much more accomplished in edu- 
cation and manners than either of his three competitors for fame. 
For the comeliness of his person, his martial air, his excellence in 
horsemanship, and his consummate powers of field eloquence, he had 
scarcely an equal in the armies of his country. But his chief excel- 
lence lay in the magnanimity and generosity of his soul, his daring 
courage, his vigilance and address, and his unrelaxing activity and 
endurance of toil. If he was less frequently engaged in actual com- 
bat than either of his three compeers, it was not because he was 
inferior to either of them in enterprise or love of battle. His district 
being more interior, was at first less frequently invaded by British 
detachments. When, however, Lord Cornwallis ultimately advanced 
into that quarter, his scouts and foraging parties found in Colonel 
Davie and his brave associates as formidable an enemy as they had 
ever encountered. 




BRIGADIER GENERAL FRANCIS MARION. 



RANCIS MARION, colonel in the 
regular service, and brigadier-gene- 
ral in the militia of South Carolina, 
was born in the vicinity of George- 
town, in the year 1733. 
To portray the meteor-like course of 
hardihood and exploit, traced by General 
Marion and his heroic followers, would 
constitute a picture, rich in admiration and 
delight to the lovers of bravery and roman- 
tic adventure. Never was an officer better 
suited to the times in which he lived, and the situation in which it 
was his fortune to act. For stratagems, unlooked-for enterprises 

272 




MARION AT SEA. 



273 




Marion Shipwrecked. 

against the enemy, and devices for concealing his own position and 
movements, he had no rival. Never, in a single instance, was he 
overtaken in his course, or discovered in his hiding-place. Even 
some of his own party, anxious for his safety, and well acquainted 
with many of the places of his retreat, have sought for him whole 
days in his immediate neighborhood without finding him. Suddenly 
and unexpectedly, in some distant point he would again appear, 
pouncing upon his enemy like the eagle upon his prey. These high 
and rare qualities conducted him repeatedly into the arms of victory, 
when the force he encountered was tenfold the number of that he 
commanded. 

Young Marion, at the age of sixteen, entered on board a vessel 
bound to the West Indies, with a determination to fit himself for a 
seafaring life. On his outward passage, the vessel was upset in a 
gale of wind, when the crew took to their boat without water or pro- 
visions, it being impracticable to save any of either. A dog jumped 
into the boat with the crew, and upon his flesh, eaten raw, did the 
survivors of these unfortnnate men subsist for seven or eight days ; 
in which period several died of hunger. 

Among the few who escaped was young Marion. After reaching 
land, Marion relinquished his original plan of life, and engaged in the 
labors of agriculture. In this occupation he continued until 1759, 
when he became a soldier, and was appointed a lieutenant in a com- 
pany of volunteers, raised for an expedition against the Cherokee 
Indians, commanded by Captain William Moultrie, (since General 
Moultrie.) 

As soon as the war broke out between the colonies and the mother 
country, Marion was called to the command of a company in the first 
corps raised by the state of South Carolina. He was soon after- 
wards promoted to a majority, and served in that rank under Colonel 

18 



274 



FRANCIS MARION. 




" 'V 




\ 



Marion Escaping from a Drin]rins Party. 



Moultrie, in his intrepid defence of Fort Moultrie, against the com- 
bined attack of Sir Henry Clinton and Sir Peter Parker, on the 2d 
of June, 1776. He was afterwards placed at the head of a regiment, 
as lieutenant-colonel commandant, in command of Fort Moultrie, 
which he retained until by a leap from a -second story window of a 
house in Charleston, where he was hard pressed with bumpers, he 
fractured his ankle. In consequence of this accident he became 
incapable of military duty, and, fortunately for his country, escaped 
the captivity to which the garrison was, in the sequel, forced to submit. 

When Charleston fell into the enemy's hands, Lieutenant-Colonel 
Marion abandoned his state, and took shelter in North Carolina. The 
moment he recovered from the fracture of his leg, he ens-aged in 
preparing the means of annoying the enemy, then in the flood tide 
of prosperity. With sixteen men only, he crossed the Santee, and 
commenced that daring system of warfare which so much annoyed 
the British army. 

Colonel Peter Horry, in his life of General Marion, gives the fol- 



J 



ANECDOTE OF MARION. 



275 




Marion inviting the British Officer to dinner 

lowing interesting incident : — " About this time we received a flag 
from the enemy in Georgetown, South Carolina, the object of which 
was to make some arrangements about the exchange of prisoners. 
The flag, after the usual ceremony of blindfolding, was conducted 
into Marion's encampment. Having heard great talk about General 
Marion, his fancy had naturally enough sketched out for him some 
stout figure of a warrior, such as O'Hara, or Cornwallis himself, of 
martial aspect and flaming regimentals. But what was his surprise, 
when led into Marion's presence, and the bandage taken from his 
eyes, he beheld in our hero a swarthy, smoke-dried little man, with 
scarcely enough of threadbare homespun to cover his nakedness ! 
and instead of tall ranks of gay dressed soldiers, a handful of sun- 
burnt, yellow-legged militia-men ; some roasting potatoes, and some 
asleep, with their black firelocks and powder-horns lying by them on 
the logs. Having recovered a little from his surprise, he presented 
his letter to General Marion, who perused it, and soon settled every 
thing to his satisfaction. 

The officer took up his hat to retire. 



276 FRANCIS MARION. 

" Oh no !" said Marion, " it is now about our time of dining, 
and I hope sir, you will give us the pleasure of your company to 
dinner." 

At the mention of the word dinner, the British officer looked 
around him, but to his great mortification, could see no sign of a pot, 
pan, Dutch-oven, or any other cooking utensil that could raise the 
spirits of a hungry man. 

" Well, Tom," said the general to one of his men, " come give us 
our dinner." 

The dinner to which he alluded was no other than a heap of sweet 
potatoes, that were very snugly roasting under the embers, and which 
Tom, with his pine stick poker, soon liberated from their ashy con- 
finement ; pinching them every now and then with his fingers, espe- 
cially the big ones, to see whether they were well done or not. Then 
having cleansed them of the ashes, partly by blowing them with his 
breath, and partly by brushing them with the sleeve of his old cot- 
ton shirt, he piled some of the best on a large piece of bark, and 
placed them between the British officer and Marion, on the trunk of 
the fallen pine on which they sat. 

" I fear, sir," said the general, " our dinner will not prove so palata- 
ble to you as I could wish ; but it is the best we have." 

The officer, who was a well-bred man, took up one of the pota- 
toes and affected to feed, as if he had found a great dainty ; but it 
was very plain that he ate more from good manners than good appe- 
tite. 

Presently he broke out into a hearty laugh. Marion looked sur- 
prised. "I beg pardon, general," said he, "but one cannot, you 
know, always command one's conceits. I was thinking how drolly 
some of my brother officers would look, if our government were to 
give them such a bill of fare as this." 

" I suppose," replied Marion, " it is not equal to their style of 
dining." 

"No, indeed," quoth the officer, " and this, I imagine, is one of 
your accidental Lent dinners : a sort of ban-yan. In general, no 
doubt, you live a great deal better." 

" Rather worse," answered the general, " for often we don't get 
enough of this." 

" Heavens !" rejoined the officer, "but probably what you lose in 
meal you make up in malt, though stinted in provisions, you draw 
noble pay." 

" Not a cent, sir," said Marion, " not a cent." 
" Heavens and earth ! then you must be in a bad box. I don't see, 
general, how you can stand it." 



Marion's dinner. 277 

"Why, sir," replied Marion, with a smile of self-approbation, 
■" these things depend on feeling." 

The Englishman said, " he did not believe it would be an easy- 
matter to reconcile his feelings to a soldier's life on General Marion's 
terms : all fighting, no pay, and no provisions but potatoes." 

"Why, sir," answered the general, " the heart is all ; and when 
that is once interested, a man can do any thing. Many a youth 
would think it hard to indent himself a slave for fourteen years. But 
let him be over head and ears in love, and with such a beauteous 
sweetheart as Rachel, and he will think no more of fourteen years' 
servitude than young Jacob did. Well, now, this is exactly my case. 
I am in love ; and my sweetheart is Liberty. Be that heavenly 
nymph my companion, and these woods shall have charms beyond 
London and Paris in slavery. To have no proud monarch driving- 
over me with his gilt coaches ; nor his host of excisemen and tax- 
gatherers insulting and robbing ; but to be my own master, my own 
prince and sovereign ; gloriously preserving my natural dignity, and 
pursuing my true happiness, planting my vineyards and eating their 
luscious fruit ; sowing my fields, and reaping the golden grain, and 
seeing millions of brothers all around me, equally free and happy as 
myself — this, sir, is what I long for." 

The officer replied, that both as a man and a Briton, he must sub- 
scribe to this as a happy state of things. 

" Happy" quoth Marion, " yes, happy indeed ; and I would rather 
fight for such blessings for my country, and feed on roots, than keep 
aloof, though wallowing in all the luxuries of Solomon. For now, 
sir, I walk the soil that gave me birth, and exult in the thought that 
I am not unworthy of it. I look upon these venerable trees around 
me, and feel that I do not dishonor them. I think of my own sacred 
rights, and rejoice that I have not basely deserted them. And when 
I look forward to the long, long ages of posterity, I glory in the 
thought that I am fighting their battles. The children of distant 
generations may never hear my name ; but still it gladdens my heart 
to think that I am now contending for their freedom, with all its 
countless blessings." 

I looked at Marion as he uttered these sentiments, and fancied I 
felt as when I heard the last words of the brave De Kalb. The 
Englishman hung his honest head, and looked, I thought, as if he had 
seen the upbraiding ghosts of his illustrious countrymen, Sidney and 
Hampden. 

On his return to Georgetown, he was asked by Colonel Watson 
why he looked so serious. 

" I have cause, sir," said he, " to look so serious." 



278 



FRANCIS MARION. 



" What F has General Marion refused to treat V 

" No, sir." 

"Well, Ihen, has old Washington defeated Sir Henry Clinton, 
and broke up our army ?" 

" No, sir, not that neither ; but worse.'' 

" Ah ! wliat can be worse ?" 

" Why, sir, I have seen an American general and his officers, 
without pay, and almost without clothes, living on roots, and drink- 
ing water ; and all for Liberty ? What chance have we against 
such men ?" 

It is said Colonel Watson was not much obliged to him for this 
speech. But the young officer was so struck with Marion's senti- 
ments, that he never rested until he threw up his commission, and 
retired from the service. 

General Marion, whose stature was diminutive, and his person 
uncommonly light, rode, when in service, one of the fleetest and 
most powerful chargers the south could produce. When in fair 
pursuit, nothing could escape him, and when retreating, nothing could 
overtake him. 

Being once nearly surrounded by a party of British dragoons, he 
was compelled, for safety, to pass into a corn-field, by leaping the 
fence. This field, marked with a considerable descent of surface, 
had been in part a marsh. Marion entered it at the upper side. 
The dragoons in chase leapt the fence also, and were but a short 
distance behind him. So completely was he now in their power, 
that his only mode of escape was to pass over the fence on the lower 
side. But here lay a difficulty which to all but himself appeared 
insurmountable. 

To drain the ground of its superfluous waters, a trench had been 
cut around this part of the field, four feet wide and of the same depth. 
Of the mud and clay removed in cutting it, a bank had been formed 
on its inner side, and on the top of this was erected the fence. The 
elevation of the whole amounted to more than seven feet perpen- 
dicular height ; a ditch four feet in width running parallel with it on 
the outside, and a foot or more of space intervening between the 
fence and the ditch. 

The dragoons, acquainted with the nature and extent of the 
obstacle, and considering it impossible for their enemy to pass it, 
pressed towards him with loud shouts of exultation and insult, and 
summoned him to surrender or perish by the sword. Regardless of 
their rudeness and empty clamor, and inflexibly determined not to 
become their prisoner, Marion spurred his horse to the charge. The 
noble animal, as if conscious that his master's life was in danger, and 



DEATH OF MARION. 



279 



that on his exertion depended his safety, approached the barrier in 
his finest style, and with a bound that was almost supernatural, 
cleared the fence and the ditch, and recovered himself without injury 
on the opposite side. 

Marion now facing his pursuers, who had halted at the fence, 
unable to pass it, discharged his pistols at them without effect, and 
then wheeling his horse, and bidding them " good morning," with an 
air of triumph, dashed into an adjoining thicket, and disappeared in 
an instant. 

General Marion was a native of South Carolina ; and the imme- 
diate theatre of his exploits, was a large section of the maritime 
district of that state, around Georgetown. The peculiar hardihood 
of his constitution, and its being accommodated to a warm climate 
and a low marshy country, qualified him to endure hardships and 
submit to exposures, which, in that sickly region, few other men 
would have been competent to sustain. He continued his undivided 
efforts until the close of the war, and lived to see the United States 
enrolled among the free and independent nations of the earth. 

General Marion died on the 27th day of February 1795, at his 
residence in St. John's Parish. He was in the sixty-third year of his 
age. In the last hour he displayed the firmness of a soldier, and the 
composure of a christian. "Thank God," he said, " I can lay my 
hand on my heart and say that since I came to man's estate, I have 
never intentionally done wrong to any." 



sitelM 



^a; 

* 








MAJOR GENERAL ISRAEL PUTNAM. 





itczi^* 



SRAEL PUTNAM, who, through 
a regular gradation of promotion, 
became the senior major-general 
in the army of the United States, 
and next in rank to General Wash- 
ington, was born at Salem, Massachusetts, 
JH on the 7th day of January, 1718. 

Courage, enterprise, activity, and perse- 
verance, were the first characteristics of 
his mind ; and his disposition was as frank 
and generous, as his mind was fearless and independent. Although 
he had too much suavity in his nature to commence a quarrel, he 
had too much sensibility not to feel, and too much honor not to 
resent, an intended insult. The first time he went to Boston he was 
insulted for his rusticity by a boy of twice his size and age : after 
bearing sarcasms until his patience was worn out, he challenged, 
engaged, and vanquished his unmannerly antagonist, to the great 
diversion of a crowd of spectators. While a stripling, his ambition 
was to perform the labor of a man, and to excel in athletic diversions. 
In the year 1739, he removed from Salem to Pomfret, an inland 
380 



ADVENTURE WITH THE WOLF 281 

fertile town in Connecticut. Having here purchased a considerable 
tract of land, he applied himself successfully to agriculture. 

Our farmer, sufficiently occupied in building a house and barn, 
felling woods, making fences, sowing grain, planting orchards, and 
taking care of his stock, had to encounter, in turn, the calamities 
occasioned by drought in summer, blast in harvest, loss of cattle in 
winter, and the desolation of his sheepfold by wolves. In one night 
he had seventy fine sheep and goats killed, besides many lambs and 
kids wounded. This havoc was committed by a she-wolf, which, 
with her annual whelps, had for several years infested the vicinity. 

This wolf at length became such an intolerable nuisance that Mr. 
Putnam entered into a combination with five of his neighbors, to 
hunt alternately until they could destroy her. Two, by rotation, 
were to be constantly in pursuit. It was known that, having lost the 
toes from one foot by a steel-trap, she made one track shorter than 
the other. By this vestige the pursuers recognized, in a light snow, 
the route of this pernicious animal. Having followed her to Con- 
necticut river, and found she had turned back in a direct course 
toward Pomfret, they immediately returned ; and by ten o'clock the 
next morning the blood-hounds had driven her into a den, about three 
miles distant from the house of Mr. Putnam. The people soon col- 
lected, with dogs, guns, straw, fire and sulphur, to attack the com- 
mon enemy. With this apparatus several unsuccessful efforts were 
made to force her from the den. The hounds came back badly 
wounded, and refused to return. The smoke of blazing straw had 
no effect. Nor did the fumes of burnt brimstone, with which the 
cavern was filled, compel her to quit the retirement. Wearied with 
such fruitless attempts, (which had brought the time to ten o'clock 
at night,) Mr. Putnam tried once more to make his dog enter, but in 
vain ; he proposed to his negro man to go down into the cavern, and 
shoot the wolf, but the negro declined the hazardous service. Then 
it was that the master, angry at the disappointment, and declaring 
that he was ashamed to have a coward in his family, resolved him- 
self to destroy the ferocious beast, lest she should escape through 
some unknown fissure of the rock. His neighbors strongly remon- 
strated against the perilous enterprise : but he, knowing that wild 
animals were intimidated by fire, and having provided several strips 
of birch bark, the only combustible material he could obtain that 
would afford light in this deep and darksome cave, prepared for his 
descent. Having, accordingly, divested himself of his coat and 
waistcoat, and having a long rope fastened round his legs, by which 
he might be pulled back at a concerted signal, he entered head fore- 
most, with the blazing torch in his hand. 



282 



ISRAEL PUTNAM. 




THE aperture of the den, on the 
east side of a very high ledge of 
rocks, is about two feet square ; 
from thence it descends obliquely 
fifteen feet, then running horizon- 
tally about ten more, it ascends 
gradually sixteen feet towards its 
termination. The sides of this 
subterraneous cavity are com- 
posed of smooth and solid rocks, which seem to have been divided 
from each other by some former earthquake. The top and bottom 
are also of stone ; and the entrance, in winter, being covered with 
ice, is exceedingly slippery. It is in no place high enough for a man 
to raise himself upright, nor in any part more than three feet in width. 
Having groped his passage to the horizontal part of the den, the 
most terrifying darkness appeared in front of the dim circle of light 
afforded by his torch. It was silent as the house of death. None 
but monsters of the desert had ever before explored this solitary 
mansion of horror. He cautiously proceeded onward, came to the 
ascent, which he slowly mounted on his hands and knees, until he 
discovered the glaring eyeballs of the wolf, who was sitting at the 
extremity of the cavern. Startled at the sight of fire, she gnashed 
her teeth, and gave a sullen growl. As soon as he had made the 
necessary discovery, he kicked the rope as a signal for pulling him 
out. The people at the mouth of the den, who had listened with 
painful anxiety, hearing the growling of the wolf, and supposing their 
friend to be in the most imminent danger, drew him forth with such 
celerity that his shirt was stripped over his head, and his skin severely 
lacerated. After he had adjusted his clothes, and loaded his gun 
with nine buck-shot, holding a torch in one hand and the musket in 
the other, he descended the second time. When he drew nearer than 
before, the wolf, assuming a still more fierce and terrible appearance, 
howling, rolling her eyes, snapping her teeth, and dropping her head 
between her legs, was evidently in the attitude and on the point of 
springing at him. At this critical instant he levelled and fired at her 
head. Stunned with the shock, and suffocated with the smoke, he 
immediately found himself drawn out of the cave. But having re- 
freshed himself, and permitted the smoke to dissipate, he went down 
the third time. Once more he came within sight of the wolf, who, 
appearing very passive, he applied the torch to her nose, and per- 
ceiving her dead, he took hold of her ears, and then kicking the 
rope, (still tied round his legs,) the people above, with no small 
exultation dragged them both out together. 



ADVENTURE WITH THE WOLF. 



283 




Adventure of Putnam with the Wolf. 

But the time had now arrived, which was to turn the implements 
of husbandry into weapons of hostility, and to exchange the hunting 
of wolves, which had ravaged the sheepfolds, for the pursuit of 
savages, who had desolated the frontiers. Putnam was about thirty- 
seven years of age, when the war between England and France broke 
out in America. In 1755 he was appointed to the command of a 
company, in the first regiment of provincials that was levied by 
Connecticut. The regiment joined the army at the opening of the 
campaign, not far distant from Crown Point. 

Soon after his arrival at camp, he became intimately acquainted 
with the famous partisan captain, afterward Major Rogers, with 
whom he was frequently associated in crossing the wilderness, recon- 
noitering the enemy's lines, gaining intelligence, and taking straggling 
prisoners, as well as in beating up the quarters, and surprising the 
advanced pickets of their army. For these operations, a corps of 
rangers was formed from the irregulars. The first time Rogers and 
Putnam were detached with a party of these light troops, it was the 
fortune of the latter to preserve with his own hand, the life of the 
former, and to cement their friendship with the blood of one of their 
enemies. 

The object of this expedition was to obtain an accurate knowledge 
of the position and state of the works at Crown Point. It was 
impracticable to approach with their party near enough for this pur- 
pose, without being discovered. Alone, the undertaking was suffi- 



284 



ISRAEL PUTNAM. 




ciently hazardous, on account of the swarms of hostile Indians who 
infested the woods. Our two partisans, however, left all their men 
at a convenient distance, with strict orders to continue concealed 
until their return. 

'AVING thus cautiously taken their 
arrangements, they advanced with the 
profoundest silence in the evening ; and 
lay during the night contiguous to the 
fortress. Early in the morning they 
approached so close as to be able to give 
satisfactory information to the general 
who had sent them, on the several 
points to which their attention had been 
directed : but Captain Rogers being at 
a little distance from Captain Putnam, fortuitously met a stout 
Frenchman, who instantly seiz.ed his fusee with one hand, and with 
the other attempted to stab him, while he called to an adjacent 
guard for assistance. The guard answered. Putnam, perceiving the 
imminent danger of his friend, and that no time was to be lost, or 
further alarm given by firing, ran rapidly to them while they were 
struggling, and with the butt end of his piece laid the Frenchman 
dead at his feet. The partisans, to elude pursuit, precipitated their 
flight, joined the party, and returned without loss to the encampment. 
The time for which the colonial troops engaged to serve, termi 
nated with the campaign. Putnam was reappointed, and again took 
the field in 1756. 

Few are so ignorant of war, as not to know that military adven- 
tures in the night, are always extremely liable to accidents. Captain 
Putnam, having been commanded to reconnoitre the enemy's camp 
at the Ovens near Ticonderoga, took the brave Lieutenant Robert 
Durkee as his companion. In attempting to execute these orders, 
he narrowly missed being taken himself in the first instance, and 
killing his friend in the second. It was customary for the British 
and provincial troops to place their fires round their camp, which 
frequently exposed them to the enemy's scouts and patroles. A con- 
trary practice, then unknown in the English army, prevailed among 
the French and Indians. The plan was much more rational : they 
kept their fires in the centre, lodged their men circularly at a distance, 
and posted their sentinels in the surrounding darkness. Our partisans 
approached the camp, and supposing the sentries were within the 
circle of fires, crept upon their hands and knees with the greatest 
possible caution, until, to their utter astonishment, they found them- 
selves in the thickest of the enemy. The sentinels, discovering 



PUTNAM SAVES A MAGAZINE. 



285 



them, fired, and slightly wounded Durkee in the thigh. He and 
Putnam had no alternative. They fled. The latter, being foremost, 
and scarcely able to see his hand before him, soon plunged into a 
clay pit. Durkee, almost at the identical moment, came tumbling 
after. Putnam, by no means pleased at finding a companion, and 
believing him to be one of the enemy, lifted his tomahawk to give 
the deadly blow, when Durkee, (who had followed so closely as to 
know him,) inquired whether he had escaped unhurt. Captain Put- 
nam, instantly recognizing the voice, dropped his weapon, and both, 
springing from the pit, made good their retreat to the neighboring 
ledges, amidst a shower of random shot. There they betook them- 
selves to a large log, by the side of which they lodged the remainder 
of the night. Before they lay down, Captain Putnam said he had a 
little rum in his canteen, which could never be more acceptable or 
necessary ; but on examining the canteen, which hung under his 
arm, he found the enemy had pierced it with their balls, and that 
there was not a drop of liquor left. The next day he found fourteen 
bullet holes in his blanket. 

Nothing worthy of remark happened during the course of this 
campaign, but the active services of Captain Putnam on every occa- 
sion attracted the admiration of the public, and induced the legislature 
of Connecticut to promote him to a majority in 1757. 

N the winter of 1757, when Colonel 
Haviland was commandant at Fort 
Edward, the barracks adjoining to the 
northwest bastion took fire. They ex- 
tended within twelve feet of the maga- 
zine, which contained three barrels of 
powder. On its first discovery, the fire 
raged with great violence. The com- 
mandant endeavored, in vain, by dis- 
charging some pieces of heavy artillery 
against the supporters of this flight of barracks, to level them with 
the ground. Putnam arrived from the island where he was stationed 
at the moment when the blaze approached that end which was con- 
tiguous to the magazine. Instantly a vigorous attempt was made to 
extinguish the conflagration. A way was opened by the postern gate 
to the river, and the soldiers were employed in bringing water ; 
which he, having mounted on a ladder to the eaves of the building, 
received and threw upon the flame. It continued, notwithstanding 
their utmost efforts, to gain upon them. He stood, enveloped in 
smoke, so near the sheet of fire, that a pair of blanket mittens was 
burnt entirely from his hands. He was supplied with another pair 




286 



ISRAEL PUTNAM. 




Futnam savins tile Magazine. 

dipped in water. Colonel Haviland, fearing that he would perish in 
the flames, called to him to come down, but he entreated that he 
might be suffered to remain, since destruction must inevitably ensue 
if their exertions should be remitted. The gallant commandant, not 
less astonished than charmed at the boldness of his conduct, forbade 
any more effects to be carried out of the fort, animated the men to 
redoubled diligence, and exclaimed, " if we must be blown up, we 
will go all together." At last, when the barracks were seen to be 
tumbling, Putnam descended, placed himself at the interval, and 
continued from an incessant rotation of replenished buckets to pour 
water upon the magazine. The outside planks were already con- 
sumed by the proximity of the fire, and as only one thickness of 
timber intervened, the trepidation now became general and extreme. 
Putnam, still undaunted, covered with a cloud of cinders, and scorched 
with the intensity of the heat, maintained his position until the fire 
subsided, and the danger was wholly over. He had contended for 
one hour and a half with that terrible element. His legs, his thighs 
his arms, and his face were blistered ; and when he pulled off his 
second pair of mittens, the skin from his hands and fingers followed 
them. It was a month before he recovered. The commandant, to 
whom his merits had before endeared him, could not stifle the emo- 
tions of gratitude clue to the man who had been instrumental in 
preserving the magazine, the fort, and the garrison. 

In the month of August, five hundred men were employed, under 
the orders of Majors Rogers and Putnam, to watch the motions of 
the enemy near Ticonderoga. At South Bay they separated the 



PUTNAM S CONTEST IN THE WOODS 



287 



party into two equal divisions, and Rogers took a position on Wood 
creek, twelve miles distant from Putnam. 

Upon being, some time afterwards, discovered, they formed a 
reunion, and concerted measures for returning to Fort Edward. Their 
march through the woods was in three divisions, by files ; the right 
commanded by Rogers, the left by Putnam, and the centre by Cap- 
tain D'Ell. At the moment of moving, the famous French partisan 
Molang, who had been sent with five hundred men to intercept our 
party, was not more than one mile and a half distant from them. 
Major Putnam was just emerging from the thicket, into the common 
forest, when the enemy rose, and, with discordant yells and whoops, 
commenced an attack upon the right of his division. Surprised, but 
undismayed, Putnam halted, returned the fire, and passed the word 
for the other divisions to advance for his support. D'Ell came. The 
action, though widely scattered, and principally fought between man 
and man soon grew general, and intensely warm. 

Major Putnam, perceiving 
it would be impracticable to 
cross the creek in his rear, 
determined to maintain his 
ground. Inspired by his ex- 
ample, the officers and men 
behaved with great bravery ; 
sometimes they fought collec- 
tively irt open view, and 
sometimes individually under 
cover ; taking aim from be- 
hind the bodies of trees, and 
acting in a manner, indepen- 
dent of each other. For him- 
self, having discharged his 
fusee several times, at lene-th 
it missed fire, while the muzzle was pressed against the breast of a 
large and well-proportioned savage. This warrior, availing himself 
of the indefensible attitude of his adversary, with a tremendous war 
whoop, sprang forward, with his lifted hatchet, and compelled him to 
surrender : and, having disarmed and bound him fast to a tree, 
returned to the battle. 

The intrepid Captains, D'Ell and Harman, who now commanded, 
were forced to give ground, for a little distance ; the savages, con- 
ceiving this to be the certain harbinger of victory, rushed impetuously 
on, with dreadful and redoubled cries. But our two partisans, col- 
lecting a handful of brave men, gave the pursuers so warm a recep- 




288 ISRAEL PUTNAM. 

tion as to oblige them, in turn, to retreat a little beyond the spot at 
which the action had commenced. Here they made a stand. This 
change of ground occasioned the tree to which Putnam was tied, to 
be directly between the fire of the two parties. Human imagination 
can hardly figure to itself a more deplorable situation. The balls 
flew incessantly from either side, many struck the tree, while some 
passed through the sleeves and skirts of his coat. In this state of 
jeopardy, unable to move his body, to stir his limbs, or even to incline 
his head, he remained more than an hour. So equally balanced, and 
so obstinate was the fight ! At one moment, while the battle swerved 
in favor of the enemy, a young savage chose an odd way of dis- 
covering his humor. He found Putnam bound — he might have 
despatched him at a single blow — but he loved better to excite the 
terrors of the prisoner, by hurling a tomahawk at his head, or rather 
it should seem his object was to see how near he could throw it with- 
out touching him. The weapon stuck in the tree a number of times, 
at a hair's breadth distance from the mark. When the Indian had 
finished his amusement, a French bas-officer, a much more inveterate 
savage by nature, (though descended from so humane and polished a 
nation,) perceiving Putnam, came up to him, and, levelling a fusee 
within a foot of his breast, attempted to discharge it — it missed fire. 
Ineffectually did the intended victim solicit the treatment due to his 
situation, by repeating that he was a prisoner of war. The degenerate 
Frenchman did not understand the language of honor or of nature ; 
deaf to their voice, and dead to sensibility, he violently, and repeat- 
edly, pushed the muzzle of the gun against Putnam's ribs, and finally 
gave him a cruel blow on his jaw with the butt-end of his piece. 
After this dastardly deed he left him. 

At length the active intrepidity of D'Ell and Harman, seconded 
by the persevering valor of their followers, prevailed. They drove 
from the field the enemy, who left about ninety dead behind them. 
As they were retiring, Putnam was untied by the Indian who had 
made him prisoner, and whom he afterward called master. Having 
been conducted for some distance from the place of action, he was 
stripped of his coat, vest, stockings, and shoes ; loaded with as many 
of the packs of the wounded as could be piled upon him ; strongly 
pinioned, and his wrists tied as closely together as they could be 
pulled with a cord. After he had marched through no pleasant paths, 
in this painful manner, for many a tedious mile, the party (who were 
excessively fatigued) halted to breathe. His hands were now immo- 
derately swelled from the tightness of the ligature, and the pain had 
become intolerable. His feet were so much scratched that the blood 
dropped fast from them. Exhausted with bearing a burden above 



PUTNAM S CAPTIVITY. 



289 



his strength, and frantic with torments exquisite beyond endurance, 
he entreated the Irish interpreter to implore, as the last and only 
grace he desired of the savages, that they would knock him on the 
head and take his scalp at once, or loose his hands. A French officer, 
instantly interposing, ordered his hands to be unbound, and some of 
the packs to be taken off. By this time, the Indian who captured 
him, and had been absent with the wounded, coming up, gave him a 
pair of moccasons, and expressed great indignation at the unworthy 
treatment his prisoner had suffered. 

HAT savage chief again returned 
to the care of the wounded, and 
the Indians, about two hundred in 
number, went before the rest of 
the party to the place where the 
. '"•'■.^j^'!.''.- ■ JSRirtfii «»i?g3urat^ whole were thai night to encamp. 

They took with them Major Put- 
nam, on whom, besides innumera- 
Wlr?,\tSS*^ml?SM t ble other outrages, they had the 

barbarity to inflict a deep wound 
■nm ■ with the tomahawk in the left 

4 




cheek. His sufferings were, in 
this place, to be consummated. A 
scene of horror, infinitely greater 
than had ever met his eyes before, was now preparing. It was de- 
termined to roast him alive. For this purpose they led him into a 
dark forest, stripped him naked, bound him to a tree, and piled dry 
brush, with other fuel, at a small distance, in a circle round him. 
They accompanied their labors, as if for his funeral dirge, with 
screams and sounds inimitable but by savage voices. They then set 
the piles on fire. A sudden shower damped the rising flame. Still 
they strove to kindle it, until, at last, the blaze ran fiercely round 
the circle. Major Putnam soon began to feel the scorching heat. 

His hands were so tied that he could move his body. He often 
shifted sides as the fire approached. This sight, at the very idea of 
which all but savages must shudder, afforded the highest diversion 
to his inhuman tormentors, who demonstrated the delirium of their 
joy by corresponding yells, dances, and gesticulations. He saw 
clearly that his final hour was inevitably come. He summoned all 
his resolution, and composed his mind as far as the circumstances 
could admit, to bid an eternal farewell to all he held most dear. To 
quit the world would scarcely have cost him a single pang ; but for 
the idea of home, but for the remembrance of domestic endearments, 
of the affectionate partner of his soul, and of their beloved offspring. 

19 



290 ISRAEL PUTNAM. 

His thought was ultimately fixed on a happier state of existence, 
beyond the tortures he was beginning to endure. The bitterness of 
death, even of that death which is accompanied with the keenest 
agonies, was in a manner past — nature, with a feeble struggle, was 
quitting its last hold on sublunary things, when a French officer 
rushed through the crowd, opened a way by scattering the burning 
brands, and unbound the victim. It was Molang himself, to whom 
a savage, unwilling to see another human sacrifice immolated, had 
run and communicated the tidings. That commandant spurned and 
severely reprimanded the barbarians whose nocturnal powaws and 
hellish orgies he suddenly ended. Putnam did not want for feeling 
or gratitude. The French commander, fearing to trust him alone 
with them, remained until he could deliver him in safety into the 
hands of his master. 

The savage approached his prisoner kindly, and seemed 1 ") treat 
him with particular affection. He offered him some hard jiscuit ; 
but finding he could not chew them, on account of the blow he had 
received from the Frenchman, this more humane savage soaked some 
of the biscuit in water, and made him suck the pulp-like part. De- 
termined, however, not to lose his captive, (the refreshment being 
finished,) he took the moccasons from his feet, and tied them to one 
of his wrists : then directing him to lie down on his back upon the 
bare ground, he stretched one arm to its full length, and pinioned it 
fast to a young tree ; the other arm was extended and bound in the 
same manner— his legs were stretched apart and fastened to two sap- 
lings. Then a number of tall but slender poles were cut down, which, 
with some long bushes, were laid across his body from head to foot : 
on each side lay as many Indians as could conveniently find lodging, 
in order to prevent the possibility of his escape. In this disagreeable 
and painful posture he remained until morning. During this night, 
the longest and most dreary conceivable, our hero used to relate 
that he felt a ray of cheerfulness come casually across his mind, 
and could not even refrain from smiling when he reflected on this 
ludicrous group for a painter, of which he himself was the principal 
figure. 

The next day he was allowed his blanket and moccasons, and per- 
mitted to march without carrying any pack, or receiving any insult 
To allay his extreme hunger, a little bear's meat was given, which 
he sucked through his teeth. At night the party arrived at Ticon- 
deroga, and the prisoner was placed under the care of a French 
guard. The savages who had been prevented from glutting their 
diabolical thirst for blood, took other opportunity of manifesting their 
malevolence for the disappointment, by horrid grimaces and angry 



GENEROSITY OF SCHUYLER. 291 

gestures ; but they were suffered no more to offer violence or personal 
indignity to him. 

Alter having been examined l>y the Marquis de Montcalm, Major 
Putnam was conducted to Montreal by a French officer, who treated 
him with the greatest indulgence and humanity. 

At this place were several prisoners. Colonel Peter Schuyler, 
remarkable for his philanthropy, generosity, and friendship, was of 
the number. No sooner had he heard of Putnam's arrival, than he 
went to the interpreter's quarters, and inquired whether he had a 
provincial major in his custody. He found .Major Putnam in a 
comfortless condition — without coal , \\ aisleoal , or hose — the remnant 
of his clol 1 1 i i i 14 miserably dirty and ragged — his heard long and squalid 
— his legs lorn by thorns and briers — his lace gashed by wounds, and 
swollen.with bruises. Colonel Schuyler, irritated beyond all suffer- 
ance at such a sight, could scarcely restrain his speech within limits 
consistent with the prudence of a prisoner, and the meekness of a 
christian. Major Putnam was immediately treated according to his 
rank, clothed in a decent manner, and supplied with money by that 
liberal and sympathetic patron of the distressed. 

UK capture of Krontenac by General Bradstreet, af- 
forded occasion for an exchange of prisoners. Colonel 
Schuyler was comprehended in the cartel. A generous 
spirit can never be satisfied with imposing tasks for its 
generosity to accomplish. Apprehensive, that if it 
should be known that Putnam was a distinguished partisan, his libera- 
tion might be retarded^, and knowing that thercwere officers, who, from 
the length of their captivity, had a claim to priority of exchange, be 
nail, by his happy address, induced the governor to offer, that what- 
ever officer he might think proper to nominate should be included in 
the present carl id. Willi great politeness in manner, but seeming 
indifference as to object, he < xpressed Ins warmest acknowledgments 
to the governor, and said, — There is an old man here, who is a pro- 
vincial major, and wishes to be at home with his wife and children ; 
he can do no good here or any where else : I believe your Kxcellency 
had better kei p some of the young men, who have no wife nor chil- 
dren to care for, and let the old fellow go home with me. This 
justifiable finesse had the desired effect. 

Shortly after, Putnam was promoted to be a lieutenant-colonel, in 
which he continued to 1 In ■ close of the war, ever, and on all occa- 
sions, supporting his haul earned reputation for valor and intrepidity; 
and, at the expiration of ten years from his first receiving a commis- 
sion, after having seen as much service, endured as many hardships, 
encountered as many dangers, and acquired as many laurels as any 




292 ISRAEL PUTNAM. 

officer of his rank, with great satisfaction laid aside his uniform and 
returned to the plough. 

On the 22d day of March, 1765, the stamp act received the royal 
assent. Colonel Putnam was, at this time, a member of the house 
of assembly of the state of Connecticut, and was deputed to wait on 
the then Governor Fitch on the subject. The questions of the 
oovernor, and answers of Putnam, will serve to indicate the spirit of 
the times. After some conversation, the governor asked Colonel 
Putnam " what he should do if the stamped paper should be sent him 
by the king's authority?" Putnam replied, "lock it up until we shall 
visit you again." " And what will you do then ?" " We shall expect 
you to give us the key of the room in which it is deposited ; and, if 
you think fit, in order to secure yourself from blame, you may fore- 
warn us, upon our peril, not to enter the room." " And what will 
you do afterward ?" " Send it safely back again." " But if I should 
refuse admission ?" " In such case, your house will be demolished in 
five minutes." It is supposed that a report of this conversation was 
one reason why the stamp paper was never sent from New York to 
Connecticut. 

Being once, in particular, asked by a British officer, with whom he 
had formerly served, " whether he did not seriously believe that a 
well appointed British army of five thousand veterans could march 
through the whole continent of America ?" he briskly replied, " no 
doubt, if they behaved civilly, and paid well for every thing they 
wanted ; but," after a moment's pause, added, " if they should 
attempt it in a hostile manner (though the American men were out 
of the question,) the women, with their ladles and broomsticks, 
would knock them all on the head before they had got half-way 
through." 

• The battle of Lexington found Putnam in the midst of his agricul- 
tural pursuits. Immediately upon learning the fatal rencontre, he left 
his plough in the middle of the field, unyoked his team, and without 
waiting to change his clothes, set off for the theatre of action. But 
finding the British retreated to Boston, and invested by a sufficient 
force to watch their movements, he came back to Connecticut, levied 
a regiment under authority of the legislature, and speedily returned 
to Cambridge. He was now promoted to be a major-general on the 
continental establishment. 

Not long after this period, the British commander-in-chief found 
the means to convey a proposal, privately, to General Putnam, that 
if he would relinquish the rebel party, he might rely upon being made 
a major-general on the British establishment, and receiving a great 
pecuniary compensation for his services. General Putnam spurned 



PUTNAM AT BUNKER HILL. 



293 




The Minute roan. 

at the offer ; which, however, he thought prudent at that time to 
conceal from public notice. 

In the battle of Bunker's Hill he exhibited his usual intrepidity. 
He directed the men to reserve their fire till the enemy was very 
near, reminded them of their skill, and told them to take good aim. 
They did so, and the execution was terrible. After the retreat, he 
made a stand at Winter Hill, and drove back the enemy under cover 
of their ships. When the army was organized by General Wash- 
ington, at Cambridge, Putnam was appointed to command the reserve. 
In August, 1776, he was stationed at Brooklyn, on Long Island. 
After the defeat of our army on the twenty-seventh of that month, 
he went to New York, and was very serviceable in the city and neigh- 
borhood. In October or November, he was sent to Philadelphia, to 
fortify that city. 

In January, 1777, he was directed to take post at Princeton, where 
he continued until spring. At this place, a sick prisoner, a captain, 
requested that a friend in the British army at Brunswick might be 
sent for to assist him in making his will. Putnam was perplexed. 
He had but fifty men under his command, and he did not wish to 
have his weakness known ; yet he. was unwilling to deny the request. 
He, however, sent a flag of truce, and directed the officer to be 
brought in the night. In the evening lights were placed in all the 
college windows, and in every apartment of the vacant houses 
throughout the town. The officer, on his return, reported that 
General Putnam's army could not consist of less than four or five 
thousand men. 



294 



ISRAEL PUTNAM. 



In the spring he was appointed to the command of a separate 
army, in the highlands of New York. One Palmer, a lieutenant in 
the tory new levies, was detected in the camp ; Governor Tryon 
reclaimed him as a British officer, threatening vengeance if he was 
not restored. General Putnam wrote the following pithy reply : — 
" Sir, Nathan Palmer, a lieutenant in your king's service, was taken 
in my cam)) as a spy ; he was tried as a spy ; he was condemned as 
a spy ; and shall be hanged as a spy. P. S. Afternoon. He is 
hanged." 

Alter the loss of Fori -Montgomery, the commander-in-chief de- 
termined to build another fortification, and he directed Putnam to 
fix upon a spot. To him belongs the praise of having chosen West 
Point. 

About the middle of winter, while General Putnam was on a 
visit to his out-post at Horse-Neck, he found Governor Tryon ad- 
vancing upon that town with a corps of fifteen hundred men. To 
oppose these General Putnam had only a picket of one hundred 
and fifty men, and two iron field-pieces, without horses or drag ropes. 
He, however, planted his cannon on the high ground hy the meeting- 
house, and retarded their approach by firing several times, until per- 
ceiving the horse (supported by the infantry) about to charge, he 
ordered the picket to provide for their safety, by retiring to a swamp 
inaccessible to horse, and secured his own by plunging down the 
steep precipice at the church upon a full trot. This precipice is so 
steep where he descended, as to have artificial stairs, composed 
of nearly one hundred stone steps, for the accommodation of foot 
passengers. There the dragoons who were but a sword's length 
from him stopped short ; for the declivity was so abrupt that they 
ventured not to follow ; and before they could gain the valley by 
going round the brow of the hill in the ordinary road, he was far 
enough beyond their reach. He continued his route, unmolested, to 
Stamford; from whence, having strengthened his picket by the 
junction of some militia, he came back again, and in turn pursued 
Governor Tryon in his retreat. As he rode down the precipice, one 
ball of the many fired at him went through his beaver ; but Governor 
Tryon, by way of compensation for spoiling his hat, sent him soon 
afterward as a present, a complete suit of clothes. 

The campaign of 1779, which was principally spent in strength- 
ening the works at West Point, finished the military career of Put- 
nam. A paralytic affection impaired the activity of his body, and 
compelled him to quit the army. 

The remainder of the life of General Putnam was passed in quiet 
retirement with his family. He experienced few interruptions in his 



PUTNAM S CHARACTER. 



297 




Putnam's Adventure at Horse-Neck. 



bodily health, (except the paralytic debility with which he was 
afflicted,) retained full possession of his mental faculties, and en- 
joyed the society of his friends until the 17th of May, 1790, when 
he was violently attacked with an inflammatory disease. Satisfied 
from the first that it would prove mortal, he was calm and resigned, 
and welcomed the approach of death with joy, as a messenger sent 
to call him from a life of toil to everlasting rest. On the 19th of 
May, 1790, he ended a life which had been spent in cultivating and 
defending the soil of his birth, aged seventy-two years. 

The late Rev. Dr. Dwight, President of Yale College, who knew 
General Putnam intimately, has portrayed his character faithfully in 
the following inscription, which is engraven on his tomb : 

SACRED BE THIS MONUMENT 

TO THE MEMORY OF 

ISRAEL PUTNAM, Esq., 

Senior Major General in the armies of the United States of America 

■who was born at Salem, in the Province of Massachusetts, 

on the 7th day of January, A. D. 1718. 

And died on the 19th day of May, A. D. 1790. 

Passenger, if thou art a Soldier, drop a tear over the dust of a 
Hero, who, ever attentive to the lives and happiness of his men, 
dared to lead where any dared to follow; if a patriot, remem- 
ber the distinguished and gallant services rendered thy country, 
by the Patriot who sleeps beneath this marble ; if thou art 
honest, generous, and worthy, render a cheerful tribute of re- 
spect to a man, whose generosity was singular, whose honesty 
was proverbial ; who raised himself to universal esteem, and of- 
fices of eminent distinction, by personal worth, and a useful life. 




MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM MOULTRIE. 





HIS gentleman was a citizen of 

South Carolina, and was a 

soldier from an early period of 

his life. At the commencement 

of the Revolution, he was 

among the foremost to assert the liberties 

of his country ; and btaved every danger to 

redress her wrongs. 

The scene of his brilliant operations was 
in South Carolina, and his gallant defence 
of Sullivan's Island, crowned him with immortality. 

General Lee styled the post at Sullivan's Island, a slaughter pen, 
denounced its defence, and pronouncing disgrace on the measure 
should it be persisted in, earnestly requested the president to order 
it to be evacuated. 

Happily for the nation, its destinies were at that period guided by 
that inflexible patriot, John Rutledge, who, confidently relying on 

298 



DEFENCE OF SULLIVAN S ISLAND. 



299 



Moultrie and his intrepid band, heroically replied to Lee, " That 
while a soldier remained alive to defend it, he would never give his 
sanction to such an order." The result proved the accuracy of his 
judgment. The following laconic note was at the same time for- 
warded to Colonel Moultrie. " General Lee wishes you to evacuate 
the fort. You will not without an order from me. I will sooner cut 
off my hand than write one." 

The defence of the pass at Sullivan's Island may be compared with 
many of the splendid achievements which Grecian eloquence has 
rendered illustrious. Impressed with prejudices as strong as Xerxes 
ever cherished against Greece, the commanders of the British forces 
approached our coast, not to conciliate, but to subdue. Exulting in 
the supposed superiority of their discipline and valor, they spoke in 
the language of authority, and would listen to no terms short of 
unconditional submission. 

On the other hand, the gallant Moultrie, commanding a corps, 
formidable only by their boldness and resolution, impatiently awaited 
their approach. He was not insensible of the insufficiency of a 
work hastily constructed, and in every part incomplete ; but con- 
sidering himself pledged to give a proof to the enemy of American 
valor, he scorned the disgrace of relinquishing the fort he had sworn 
to defend, and notwithstanding the advice of the veteran Lee, heroi- 
cally prepared for action. 

Immediately on the approach of the British fleet to the coast, with 
the evident intention of attacking Charleston, a fort had been con- 
structed on the west end of Sullivan's Island, mounting thirty-two 
guns, thirty-twos and eighteens. Into this fort, Moultrie and his 
gallant band threw themselves. 

IWO fifty gun ships of the enemy, four 
frigates, several sloops of war and bomb 
vessels, were brought to the attack, which 
was commenced about eleven o'clock, from 
one of the bomb vessels. This was soon 
followed by the guns of all the ships. 
Four of the vessels dropped anchor within 
a short distance of the fort, and opened 
their several broadsides. Three others 
were ordered to take their stations between 
the end of the island and the city, intending thereby to enfilade the 
works as well as to cut off the communication with the continent. 
But in attempting to execute this order, they became entangled 
with each other on the shoals, and one of the frigates, the Acteon, 
stuck fast. 




300 



WILLIAM MOULTRIE. 




Defence of Fort Moultrie. 

The roar of artillery upon this little fort was incessant, and enough 
to appal even those who had been accustomed all their lives to the 
dreadful work of a cannonade. But Moultrie, with his brave Caro- 
linians, seemed to regard it only as a symphony to the grand march 
of independence. They returned the fire with an aim as true and 
deliberate as though each British ship had been placed as a target 
for prize shooting, and continued it for several hours, until their 
ammunition was expended. The cessation which this necessarily 
occasioned, produced a momentary joy in the assailants, who in 
imagination already grasped the victory which had been so hotly 
disputed — but the renewal of the blaze from the batteries soon con- 
vinced them that the struggle was not yet ended. Another gleam 
of hope brightened upon the British seamen, when, after a dreadful 
volley, the flag of Moultrie was no longer seen to wave defiance. 
They looked eagerly and anxiously towards the spot where Clinton, 
Comwallis, and Vaughan had landed with the troops, expecting 
every moment to see them mount the parapets in triumph. But no 
British troops appeared, and a few moments afterward, the striped 
flag of the colonies once more proudly unfolded to the breeze — the 
staff had been carried away by a shot, and the flag had fallen on the 
outside of the works ; a brave sergeant of the Carolina troops, by the 
name of Jasper, jumped over the wall, seized the flag, and fastening 
it to a sponge staff, mounted the merlon amidst the thunder of the 
enemy's guns, and fixed it in a conspicuous place. 

The ships of the enemy kept up their fire with unsubdued courage 
until half past nine o'clock, when the darkness of the night put a 
stop to the carnage on both sides ; and the ships, with the exception 



DEFENCE OP CHARLESTON. 



301 



of the Acteon, soon after slipped their cables, and dropped down 
about two miles from the scene of action. The terrible slaughter 
on board the ships bore melancholy testimony to the. bravery of the 
British seamen. At one time, Captain Morris, of the Bristol, was 
almost the only man left upon the quarter-deck. He had received 
several wounds, but gallantly refused to quit the deck until no longer 
able to stand, or give an order. This ship had one hundred and 
eleven killed and wounded. The Experiment lost ninety-nine killed 
and wounded, and among the latter her commander, Captain Scott. 
The Acteon had a lieutenant killed and six men wounded, and the 
Solebay eight wounded. The whole killed and wounded, two hun- 
dred and twenty-five. Sir Peter Parker, and Lord William Camp- 
bell, who served as a volunteer, were both wounded. The Americans 
lost only ten killed and twenty-two wounded. 

It is impossible to give too much praise to Colonel Moultrie and 
his brave Carolinians, who for more than ten hours sustained the 
continued fire of upwards of one hundred guns and bombs ; from 
which in the course of that time were thrown more than ten thou- 
sand shot and shells, seven thousand of which were picked up after 
the battle was over. 

On the next day a few shot were fired from the garrison at the 
Acteon, which remained aground, and the crew returned them, but 
finding it impossible to get her off, they soon set fire to and aban- 
doned her, leaving the colors flying, the guns loaded, and all their 
ammunition and stores. In this perilous situation she was boarded 
by a small party of Americans, who fired three of the guns at their 
late owners, while the flames were bursting around them, filled their 
boats with the stores, secured the flag, and had just time to save 
themselves, when she was blown into the air. 

The fort which had been so gallantly defended by Moultrie, after- 
ward received his name. 

In 1779, he gained a victory over the British, in the battle near 
Beaufort. In 1780, he was second in command, in Charleston, 
during the siege. After the city surrendered, he was sent to Phila- 
delphia. In 1782 he returned, and was repeatedly chosen governor 
of the state of South Carolina. 

Notwithstanding his labors, his victories and public services, how- 
ever zealous, however glorious, however serviceable, the enemy had 
the audacity to make'ehoice of him as a fit object to be gained over 
to them by bribery. His talents, his experience, and enterprise, 
would be an invaluable acquisition to the enemy, if it could be em- 
ployed on the continent ; and, if it could not be so employed, then 
the depriving the Americans of him would be of importance nearly 



302 



WILLIAM MOULTRIE. 



as great ; it was, in the eyes of a selfish, greedy enemy highly pro- 
bable that a man who had suffered so much in his private property, 
would listen to a proposal which would enable him to go to Jamaica 
as colonel of a British regiment, the commander of which, Lord 
Charles Montague, politely offered, as a proof of his sincerity, to 
quit the command, and serve under him. " No," replied the indig- 
nant Moultrie, " not the fee-simple of that valuable island of Jamaica 
should induce me to part with my integrity." 

This incorruptible patriot died at Charleston, September 27, 1805, 
in the seventy-sixth year of his age. 




British Naval Uniform, 1776. 




MAJOR GENERAL JOHN STARK. 



ENERAL STARK was a 

native of New Hampshire, and 
was born in Londonderry, 
August 17th, 1728. From his 
early youth he had been accus- 
tomed to the alarm of war, having lived in 
that part of the country which was continu- 
ally subject to the incursions of the savages. 
While a child he was captured by them, 
and adopted as one of their own ; but after 
a few years was restored. 
Arrived at manhood, his manners were plain, honest, and severe ; 
excellently calculated for the benefit of society in the private walks 
of life ; and as a courageous and heroic soldier, he is entitled to a 
high rank among those who have been crowned with unfading laurels, 

303 




304 



JOHN STARK. 



and to whom a large share of glory is justly due. He was captain 
of a company of rangers in the provincial service during the French 
war in 1755. 

From the commencement of the difficulties with the mother coun- 
try, until the closing scene of the Revolution, our country found in 
General Stark one of its most resolute, independent, and persevering 
defenders. The first call of his country found him ready. When 
the report of Lexington battle reached him, he was engaged at work 
in his saw-mill : fired with indignation and a martial spirit, he imme- 
diately seized his musket, and with a band of heroes proceeded to 
Cambridge. The morning after his arrival, he received a colonel's 
commission, and availing himself of his own popularity, and the 
enthusiasm of the day, in two hours he enlisted eight hundred men. 
On the memorable 17th of June, at Breed's Hill, Colonel Stark, at 
the head of his back-woodsmen of New Hampshire, poured on the 
enemy that deadly fire from a sure aim, which effected such remark- 
able destruction in their ranks, and compelled them twice to retreat. 
During the whole of this dreadful conflict, Colonel Stark evinced 
that consummate bravery and intrepid zeal, which entitle his name 
to perpetual remembrance. 

His spirit pervaded his native state, and excited them to the most 
patriotic efforts. The British General Burgoyne, in one of his letters 
observes, — " That the Hampshire Grants, almost unknown in the 
last war, now abound in the most active and most rebellious race on 
the continent, and hang like a gathering storm upon my left." 

Distinct from his efforts in rallying the energies of his native state, 
he obtained great credit in the active operations of the field. At that 
gloomy period of the revolution, the retreat of Washington through 
New Jersey in 1776, when the saviour of our country, apparently 
deserted of Heaven and by his country, with the few gallant spirits 
who gathered the closer around him in that dark hour, precipitately 
fled before an imperious and victorious enemy — it was on this occa- 
sion, that the persevering valor of Stark enrolled him among the firm 
and resolute defenders of their country ; and, with them, entitles him 
to her unceasing gratitude. 

But as he fearlessly shared with Washington the dark and gloomy 
night of defeat, so also he participated with him in the joy of a bright 
morning of victory and hope. In the successful enterprise against 
Trenton, Stark, then a colonel, acted a conspicuous part, and covered 
himself with glory. General Wilkinson, in his Memoirs, says, — " I 
must not withhold due praise from the dauntless Stark, who dealt 
death wherever he found resistance, and broke down all opposition 
before him." 



BURGOYNES INVASION. 



305 



Soon after this affair, Colonel Stark, from some supposed injustice 
toward him on the part of Congress, quitted the continental service, 
and returned to New Hampshire. 

When he was urged by the government of New Hampshire to take 
the command of their militia, he refused, unless he should be left at 
liberty to serve or not, under a continental officer, as he should judge 
proper. It was not a time for debate, and it was known that the 
militia would follow wherever Stark would lead. The assembly 
therefore invested him with a separate command, and gave him orders 
to " repair to Charlestown, on Connecticut river ; there to consult 
with a committee of the New Hampshire Grants, respecting his future 
operations, and the supply of his men with provisions ; to take com- 
mand of the militia, and march into the Grants ; to act in conjunction 
witli the troops of the new state, or any other of the states, or of the 
United States, or separately, as should appear expedient to him ; for 
the protection of the people, and the annoyance of the enemy." 

GREEABLY to his orders, Stark proceeded 
in a few days to Charlestown ; his men very 
readily followed ; and as fast as they arrived, 
he sent them forward to join the troops of 
Vermont under Colonel Warner, who had 
taken his situation at Manchester. At that 
place he joined Warner with about eight 
hundred men from New Hampshire, and 
found another body of men from Vermont, 
who put themselves under his command ; and he was at the head of 
fourteen hundred men. Most of them had been in the two former 
campaigns, and well officered ; and were in every respect a body of 
very good troops. Schuyler repeatedly urged Stark to join the troops 
under his command ; but he declined complying. He was led to this 
conduct not only by the reasons which have been mentioned, but by 
a difference of opinion as to the best method of opposing Burgoyne. 
Schuyler wished to collect all the American troops in the front, to 
prevent Burgoyne from marching on to Albany. Stark was of opinion 
that the surest way to check Burgoyne was to have a body of men 
on his rear, ready to fall upon him in that quarter, whenever a favor- 
able opportunity should present. The New England militia had not 
formed a high opinion of Schuyler, as a general ; and Stark meant 
to keep himself in a situation, in which he might embrace any favor- 
able opportunity for action, either in conjunction with him, or other- 
wise ; and with that view intended to hang on the rear of the British 
troops, and embrace the first opportunity which should present, to 
make an attack upon that quarter. But Stark assured Schuyler that 

30 




306 JOHN STARK. 

he would join in any measure necessary to promote the public good, 
but wished to avoid any thing that was not consistent with his own 
honor ; and if it was thought necessary, he would march to his camp. 
He wrote particularly, that lie would lay aside all private resentment, 
when it appeared in opposition to the public good. But in the midst 
of these protestations, he was watching for an opportunity to discover 
his courage and patriotism, by falling upon some part of Burgoyne's 
army. 

While the American army was thus assuming a more respectable 
appearance, General Burgoyne was making very slow advances 
towards Albany. From the twenty-eighth of July to the fifteenth of 
August, the British army was continually employed in bringing for- 
ward batteaux, provisions, and ammunition from Fort George to the 
first navigable part of Hudson's river ; a distance of not more than 
eighteen miles. The labor was excessive ; the Europeans were but 
little acquainted with the methods of performing it to advantage, and 
the effect was in no degree equivalent to the expense of labor and 
time. With all the efforts that Burgoyne could make, encumbered 
with his artillery and baggage, his labors were inadequate to the pur- 
pose of supplying the army with provisions for its daily consumption, 
and the establishment of the necessary magazines. And after his 
utmost exertions for fifteen days, there were not above four days' 
provisions in the store, nor above ten batteaux in Hudson river. 

In such circumstances, the British general found that it would be 
impossible to procure sufficient supplies of provisions by the way of 
Fort George, and determined to replenish his own magazines at the 
expense of those of the Americans. Having received information 
that a large quantity of stores were laid up at Bennington, and 
guarded only by the militia, he formed the design of surprising that 
place ; and was made to believe that as soon as a detachment of the 
royal army should appear in that quarter, it would receive effectual 
assistance from a large body of loyalists, who only waited for the 
appearance of a support, and would in that event come forward and 
aid the roval cause. Full of these expectations, he detached Colonel 
Baum, a German officer, with a select body of troops, to surprise 
the place. His force consisted of about five hundred regular troops, 
some Canadians, and more than one hundred Indians, with two light 
pieces of artillery. To facilitate their operations, and to be ready to 
take advantage of the success of the detachment, the royal army 
moved along the east bank of Hudson river, and encamped nearly 
opposite to Saratoga ; having at the same time thrown a bridge of 
rafts over the river, by which the army passed to that place. With 
a view to support Baum, if it should be found necessary, Lieutenant- 




BATTLE OF BENNINGTON. 307 

Colonel Breyman's corps, consisting of the Brunswick grenadiers, 
light infantry, and chasseurs were posted at Battenkill. 

| ENERAL STARK having received in- 
formation that a party of Indians were 
at Cambridge, sent Lieutenant-Colonel 
Greg on August the 13th, with a party 
of two hundred men, to stop their jjro- 
gress. Toward night he was informed 
by express that a large body of regulars 
was in the rear of the Indians, and ad- 
vancing toward Bennington. On this 
intelligence, Stark drew together his 
brigade, and the militia that were at hand, and sent on to Manchester 
to Colonel Warner, to bring on his regiment ; he sent expresses at 
the same time to the neighboring militia, to join him with the utmost 
speed. On the morning of the 14th, he marched with his troops, 
and at the distance of seven miles he met Greg on the retreat, and 
the enemy within a mile of him. Stark drew up his troops in order 
of battle; but the enemy coming in sight, halted upon a very advan- 
tageous piece of ground. Baum perceived the Americans were too 
strong to be attacked with his present force, and sent an express to 
Burgoyne with an account of his situation, and to have Breyman 
march immediately to support him. In the mean time, small parties 
of the Americans kept up a skirmish with the enemy, killed and 
wounded thirty of them, with two of their Indian chiefs, without any 
loss to themselves. The ground the Americans had taken, w r as un- 
favorable for a general action, and Stark retreated about a mile, and 
encamped. A council of war was held, and it was agreed to send twc 
detachments upon the enemy's rear, while the rest of the troops 
should make an attack upon their front. The next day the weather 
was rainy, and though it prevented a general action, there were fre- 
quent skirmishes in small parties, which proved favorable and encou- 
raging to the Americans. 

On August the sixteenth, in the morning, Stark was joined by 
Colonel Symonds and a body of militia from Berkshire, and pro- 
ceeded to attack the enemy, agreeably to the plan which had been 
concerted. Colonel Baum, in the meantime, had intrenched on an 
advantageous piece of ground near St. Koicks mills, on a branch of 
Hoosic river, and rendered his post as strong as his. circumstances 
and situation would admit. Colonel Nichols was detached with two 
hundred men to the rear of his left, Colonel Herrick with three hun- 
dred men to the rear of his right ; both were to join, and then make 
the attack. Colonels Hubbard and Stickney, with two hundred 



308 JOHN STARK. 

men, were ordered on the right, and one hundred were advanced 
toward the front to draw the attention of the enemy that way. 
About three o'clock in the afternoon the troops had taken their 
station, and were ready to commence the action. While Nichols 
and Herrick were bringing their troops together, the Indians were 
alarmed at the prospect, and pushed off between the two corps, but 
received a fire as they were passing, by which three of them were 
killed and two wounded. Nichols then began the attack, and was 
followed by all the other divisions ; those in the front immediately 
advanced, and in a few minutes the action became general. It lasted 
about two hours, and was like one continued peal of thunder. Baum 
made a brave defence ; and the German dragoons, after they had 
expended their ammunition, led by their colonel, charged with their 
swords, but they were soon overpowered. Their works were carried 
on all sides, their two pieces of cannon were taken, Colonel Baum 
himself was mortally wounded and taken prisoner, and all his men, 
except a few, who had escaped into the woods, were either killed or 
taken prisoners. Having completed the business by taking the whole 
party, the militia began to disperse and look out for plunder. But 
in a few minutes Stark received information that a large reinforce- 
ment was on their march, and within two miles of him. Fortunately 
at that moment Colonel Warner came up with his regiment from 
Manchester. This brave and experienced officer commanded a regi- 
ment of continental troops, which had been raised in Vermont. 
Mortified that he had not been in the former engagement, he instantly 
led on his men against Breyman, and began the second engagement. 
Stark collected the militia as soon as possible, and pushed on to his 
assistance. The action became general, and the battle continued 
obstinate on both sides till sunset, when the Germans were forced to 
give way, and were pursued till dark. They left their two field- 
pieces behind, and a considerable number were made prisoners. They 
retreated in the best manner they could, improving the advantages 
of the evening and night, to which alone their escape was ascribed. 
In these actions the Americans took four brass field-pieces, twelve 
brass drums, two hundred and fifty dragoon swords, four ammunition 
wagons, and about seven hundred prisoners, with their arms and ac- 
coutrements. Two hundred and seven men were found dead upon the 
spot, the numbers of wounded were unknown. The loss of the Ameri- 
cans was but small ; thirty were slain, and about forty were wounded. 
Stark was not a little pleased at having so fair an opportunity to 
vindicate his own conduct. He had now shown that no neglect from 
Congress had made him disaffected to the American cause, and that 
he had rendered a much more important service than he could have 



BATTLE OF BENNINGTON. 



30!) 




Battle of Bennington 

done by joining Schuyler, and remaining inactive in his camp. Con- 
gress embraced the opportunity to assign to him his rank, and though 
he had not given to them any account of his victory, or written to 
them at all upon the subject, on October the fourth they resolved, — 
" That the thanks of Congress be presented to Genera] Stark, of the 
New Hampshire militia, and the officers and troops under his com- 
mand, for their brave and successful attack upon, and signal victory 
over the enemy in their lines at Bennington ; and that Brigadier 
Stark be appointed a brigadier-general in the army of the United 
States." And never were thanks more deserved, or more wisely 
given to a military officer. 

In his official account of the affair, General Stark thus writes : " It 
lasted two hours, the hottest I ever saw in my life ; it represented one 
continued clap of thunder : however, the enemy were obliged to give 
way, and leave their field-pieces, and all their baggage behind them; 
they were all environed within two breast-works with artillery; but 
our martial courage proved too slrong for them. I then gave orders 
to rally again, in order to secure the victory; but in a few minutes 
Was informed that there was a large reinforcement on their march 



310 JOHN STARK. 

within two miles. Colonel Warner's regiment, luckily coming up at 
the moment, renewed the attack with fresh vigor. I pushed forward 
as many of the men as I could to their assistance ; the battle con- 
tinued obstinate on both sides until sunset ; the enemy was obliged 
to retreat ; we pursued them till dark, and had day lasted an hour 
longer, should have taken the whole body of them." 

On what small events do the popular humor and military success 
depend ! The capture of one thousand Germans by General Wash- 
ington at Trenton, had served to wake up and save the whole conti- 
nent. The exploit of Stark, at Bennington, operated with the same 
kind of influence, and produced a similar effect. This victory was 
the first event that had proved encouraging to the Americans in the 
northern department, since the death of General Montgomery. Mis- 
fortune had succeeded misfortune, and defeat had followed defeat 
from that period till now. The present instance was the first in 
which victory had quitted the royal standard, or seemed even to be 
wavering. She was now found with the American arms, and the 
effect seemed in fact to be greater than the cause. It raised the 
spirit of the country to an uncommon degree of animation ; and by 
showing the militia what they could perform, rendered them willing 
and desirous to turn out and try what fortunes w ould await their 
exertions. It had a still greater effect on the royal army. The 
British generals were surprised to hear that an enemy, whom they 
had contemplated with no other feelings than those of contempt, 
should all at once wake up, and discover much of the spirit of hero- 
ism. To advance upon the mouth of cannon, to attack fortified lines, 
to carry strong intrenchments, were exploits which they supposed 
belonged exclusively to the armies of kings. To see a body of 
American militia, ill-dressed, but little disciplined, without cannon, 
armed only with farmers' guns without bayonets, and who had been 
accustomed to fly at their approach ; that such men should force the 
intrenchments, capture the cannon, kill, and make prisoners of a 
large body of the royal army, was a matter of indignation, astonish- 
ment, and surprise. 

General Stark volunteered his services under General Gates at 
Saratoga, and assisted in the operations which compelled his retreat 
on the Hudson, and in the council which stipulated the surrender of 
General Burgoyne, nor did he relinquish his valuable services till he 
could greet his native country as an independent empire. General 
Stark was of the middle stature, not formed by nature to exhibit an 
erect soldierly mien. His manners were frank and unassuming, but 
he manifested a peculiar sort of eccentricity and negligence, which 
precluded all display of personal dignity, and seemed to place him 



CHARACTER OF STARK. 



311 




Burgoyne's retreat on the Hudson. 

among those of ordinary rank in life. His character as a private 
citizen was unblemished, and he was ever held in respect. For the 
last few years of his life, he enjoyed a pecuniary bounty from the 
government. He lived to the advanced age of ninety-three years, 
eight months, and twenty-four days, and died May 8th, 1822. 

General Stark's high character as a commander, was fully appre- 
ciated by the British. When the battle of Bunker Hill was about 
to commence, some one asked General Gage whether he thought the 
provincials would stand the assault of the royal troops. " Yes," said 
he, " if one John Stark is amongst them — he served under me at 
Lake George, and was a brave fellow." 

Stark's address to the soldiers at Bennington has ever been ad- 
mired as a fine specimen of laconic military eloquence. " We must 
conquer, my boys, or Molly Stark's a widow." Nothing could have 
more forcibly reminded them of the homes and altars which they 
were about so nobly to defend. . 

When he was in the heat of the action at Bunker Hill, a soldier 
reported to him that his son, a youth of sixteen, had fallen. " Is 
this a time for private grief, with the foe in our face," exclaimed the 
veteran, and the soldier, whose report turned out in the sequel to be 
unfounded, was forthwith ordered back to his duty. 



312 



JOHN STARK. 



General Stark's " tomb," says the author of Washington and the 
Generals of the Revolution, " is built upon the banks of the Merri- 
mack, upon a rising ground commanding a view of a long reach of 
river and country. His monument is an obelisk of granite, (granite 
should be the only material to commemorate the great men of our 
Revolution :) the inscription simply — 'Major General Stark.' " We 
could wish it were less, and yet more than this, " John Stark." 




Lake George. 




MAJOR GENERAL JOSEPH WARREN. 




HIS early martyr to the cause of 
freedom was born in Roxbury, near 
Boston, in the year 1741. His 
father was a respectable farmer in 
that place, who had held several 
municipal offices, to the acceptance of his 
fellow-citizens. Joseph, with several of his 
brothers, was instructed in the elementary 
branches of knowledge, at the public gram- 
mar school of the town, which was distinguished for its successive 
instructors of superior attainments. In 1755 he entered college, 
where he sustained the character of a youth of talents, fine manners, 
and of a generous independent deportment, united to great personal 
courage and perseverance. An anecdote will illustrate his fearless- 
ness and determination at that age when character can hardly be 
said to be formed. Several students of Warren's class shut them- 

313 



314 



JOSEPH WARREN. 




"Warren studying Medicine. 

selves in a room to arrange some college affairs in a way which they 
knew was contrary to his wishes, and barred the door so effectually 
that he could not without great violence force it : but he did not 
give over the attempt of getting among them ; for perceiving that 
the window of the room in which they were assembled was open, 
and near a spout which extended from the roof of the building to 
the ground, he went to the top of the house, slid down to the eaves, 
seized the spout, and when he had descended as far as the window, 
threw himself into the chamber among them. At that instant the 
spout, which was decayed and weak, gave way and fell to the ground. 
He looked at it without emotion, said that it had served his purpose, 
and began to take his part in the business. 

On leaving college in 1759, Warren turned his attention to the 
study of medicine, under the direction of Doctor Lloyd, an eminent 
physician of that day, whose valuable life has been protracted almost 
to the present time. Warren was distinguished very soon after he 
commenced practice ; for when in 1764 the small-pox spread in 
Boston, he was among the most successful in his method of treating 



ORATION ON THE BOSTON MASSACRE. 



315 




Boston Massacre. 



that disease, which was then considered the most dreadful scourge 
of the human race ; and the violence of which had baffled the efforts 
of the learned faculty of medicine from the time of its first appear- 
ance. From this moment he stood high among his brethren, and 
was the favorite of the people ; and what he gained in their good 
will he never lost. His personal appearance, his address, his courtesy 
and his humanity, won the way to the hearts of all ; and his know- 
ledge and superiority of talents secured the conquest. A bright and 
lasting fame in his profession, with the attendant consequences, 
wealth and influence, were within his reach, and near at hand : but 
the calls of a distracted country were paramount to every considera- 
tion of his own interests, and he entered the vortex of politics never 
to return to the peaceful course of professional labor. 

On the 6th of March, 1775, Warren delivered an oration in com 
memoration of the Boston massacre. It was at his own solicitation 
that he was appointed to this duty a second time. The fact is illus- 
trative of his character, and worthy of remembrance. Some British 
officers of the army then in Boston, had publicly declared that it 



316 JOSEPH WARREN. 

should be at the price of the life of any man to speak of the event of 
March 5th, 1770, on that anniversary. Warren's soul took fire at 
such a threat, so openly made, and he wished for the honor of braving 
it. This was readily granted ; for at such a time a man would pro- 
bably find but few rivals. Many who would spurn the thought of 
personal fear, might be apprehensive that they would be so far dis- 
concerted as to forget their discourse. It is easier to fight bravely, 
than to think clearly or correctly in danger. Passion sometimes 
nerves the arm to fight, but disturbs the regular current of thought. 
The day came, and the weather was remarkably fine. The old South 
Meeting-house was crowded at an early hour. The British officers 
occupied the aisles, the flight of steps to the pulpit, and several of 
them were within it. It was not precisely known whether this was 
accident or design. The orator, with the assistance of his friends, 
made his entrance at the pulpit window by a ladder. The officers 
seeing his coolness and intrepidity, made way for him to advance and 
address the audience. An awful stillness preceded his exordium. 
Each man felt the palpitations of his own heart, and saw the pale but 
determined face of his neighbor. The speaker began his oration in 
a firm tone of voice, and proceeded with great energy and pathos. 
Warren and his friends were prepared to chastise contumely, prevent 
disgrace, and avenge an attempt at assassination. 

The scene was sublime ; a patriot, in whom the flush of youth and 
the grace and dignity of manhood were combined, stood armed in the 
sanctuary of God to animate and encourage the sons of liberty, and 
to hurl defiance at their oppressors. The orator commenced with the 
early history of the country, described the tenure by which we held 
our liberties and property, the affection we had constantly shown the 
parent country, and boldly told them how, and by whom these bless- 
ings of life had been violated. There was in this appeal to Britain — 
in this description of suffering, agony and horror, a calm and high- 
souled defiance which must have chilled the blood of every sensible 
foe. Such another hour has seldom happened in the history of man, 
and is not surpassed in the records of nations. The thunders of 
Demosthenes rolled at a distance from Philip and his host — and 
Tully poured the fiercest torrent of his invective when Catiline was 
at a distance, and his dagger no longer to be feared : but Warren's 
speech was made to proud oppressors resting on their arms, whose 
errand it was to overawe, and whose business it was to fight. 

If the deed of Brutus deserved to be commemorated by history, 
poetry, painting and sculpture, should not this instance of patriotism 
and bravery be held in lasting remembrance ? If he 

" That struck the foremost man of all this world," 



BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 



317 




Battle of LeziDgton. 

was hailed as the first of freemen, what honors are not due to him, 
who, undismayed, bearded the British lion, to show the world what 
his countrymen dared to do in the cause of liberty ? If the statue of 
Brutus was placed among those of the gods, who were the preservers 
of Roman freedom, should not that of Warren fill a lofty niche in 
the temple reared to perpetuate the remembrance of our birth as a 
nation ? 

If independence was not at first openly avowed by our leading 
men at that time, the hope of attaining it was fondly cherished, and 
the exertions of the patriots pointed to this end. The wise knew 
that the storm, which the political Prosperos were raising, would pass 
away in blood. With these impressions on his mind, Warren for 
several years was preparing himself by study and observation, to take 
a conspicuous rank in the military arrangements which he knew 
must ensue. 

On the 18th of April, 1775, by his agents in Boston, he discovered 
the design of the British commander to seize or destroy our few 
stores at Concord. He instantly despatched several confidential 
messengers to Lexington. The late venerable patriot, Paul Revere, 
was one of them. This gentleman has given a very interesting 
account of the difficulties he encountered in the discharge of this 
duty. The alarm was given, and the militia, burning with resent- 



318 JOSEPH WARREN. 

ment, were at daybreak on the nineteenth, on the road to repel insult 
and aggression. The drama was opened about sunrise, within a few 
yards of the house of God, in Lexington. Warren hastened to the 
field of action in the full ardor of his soul, and shared the dangers 
of the day. While pressing on the enemy, a musket-ball took off a 
lock of his hair close to his ear. The lock was rolled and pinned, 
after the fashion of that day, and considerable force must have been 
necessary to have cut it away. The people were delighted with his 
cool, collected bravery, and already considered him as a leader, whose 
gallantry they were to admire, and in whose talents they were to 
confide. On the 14th of June, 1775, the Provincial Congress of 
Massachusetts made him a major-general of their forces, but previous 
to the date of his commission, he had been unceasing in his exertions 
to maintain order and enforce discipline among the troops, which 
had hastily assembled at Cambridge, after the battle of Lexington. 
He mingled in the ranks, and by every method and argument strove 
to inspire them with confidence, and succeeded in a most wonderful 
manner in imparting to them a portion of the flame which glowed in 
his own breast. At such a crisis genius receives its birthright — the 
homage of inferior minds, who for self-preservation are willing to be 
directed. Previous to receiving the appointment of major-general, 
he had been requested to take the office of physician general to the 
army, but he chose to be where the wounds were to be made, rather 
than were they were to be healed. Yet he lent his aid and advice to 
the medical department of the army, and was of great service to them 
in their organization and arrangements. 

He was at this time president of the Provincial Congress, having 
been elected the preceding year a member from the town of Boston. 
In this body he discovered his extraordinary powers of mind, and 
his peculiar fitness for responsible offices at such a juncture. Cau- 
tious in proposing measures, he was assiduous in pursuing what he 
thought, after mature deliberation, to be right, and never counted 
the probable cost of a measure, when he had decided that it was 
necessary to be taken. When this Congress, which was sitting at 
Watertown, adjourned for the day, he mounted his horse and hastened 
to the camp. Every day 'he bought golden opinions of all sorts of 
men ;' and when the troops were called to act on Breed's Hill, he 
had so often been among them that his person was known to most 
of the soldiers. 

Several respectable historians have fallen into some errors in de- 
scribing the battle in which he fell, by giving the command of the 
troops on that day to Warren, when he was only a volunteer in the 
fight. He did not arrive on the battle-ground until the enemy had 



B TTLE OF BUNKER HILL. 319 

commenced their movements for the attack. As soon as he made 
his appearance on the field, the veteran commander of the day, Colo- 
nel Prescott, desired to act under his directions, but Warren declined 
taking any other part than that of a volunteer, and added, that he 
came to learn the art of war from an experienced soldier, whose 
orders he should be happy to obey. In the battle he was armed with 
a musket, and stood in the ranks, now and then changing his place 
to i ncourage his fellow-soldiers by words and by example. He un- 
doubtedly, from the state of hostilities, expected soon to act in bis 
high military capacity, and it was indispensable, according to his 
views, that he should share the dangers of the field as a common 
soldier with his fellow-citizens, that his reputation for bravery might 
be put beyond the possibility of suspicion. The wisdom of such a 
course would never have been doubted, if he had returned in safety 
from the fight. In such a struggle for independence, the ordinary 
rules of prudence and caution could not govern those who were 
building up their names for future usefulness by present exertion. 
Some maxims drawn from the republican writers of antiquity, were 
worn as their mottos. Some precepts, descriptive of the charms of 
liberty, were ever on their tongues, and some classical model of 
Greek or Roman patriotism, was constantly in their minds. Instances 
of great men mixing in the rank of common soldiers, were to be 
found in ancient times, when men fought for their altars and their 
homes. The cases were parallel, and the examples were imposing. 
When the battle was decided, and our people fled, Warren was one 
of the last who left the breastwork, and was slain within a few yards 
of it as he was slowly retiring. He probably felt mortified at the 
event of the day, but had he known how dearly the victory was pur- 
chased, and how little honor was gained by those who won it, his 
heart would have been at rest. Like the band of Leonidas, the 
vanquished have received by the judgment of nations, from which 
there is no appeal, the imperishable laurels of victors. His death 
brought a sickness to the heart of the community, and the people 
mourned his fall, not with the convulsive agony of a betrothed virgin 
over the bleeding corpse of her lover — but with the pride of the 
Spartan mother, who, in the intensity of her grief, smiled to see that 
the wounds whence life had flown were on the breast of her son — 
and was satisfied that he had died in defence of his country. The 
worth of the victim, and the horror of the sacrifice, g-ave a higher 
value to our liberties, and produced a more fixed determination to 
preserve them. 

The battle of Bunker Hill has often been described, and of late its 
minutest details given to the public; but never was the military, 



320 



JOSEPH WARREN. 




Death of Warren. 

moral, and political character of that great event more forcibly 
drawn, than in the following- extract from the North American 
Review, for July, 1818 : — 

" The incidents and the result of the battle itself, were most 
important, and indeed, most wonderful. As a mere battle, few sur- 
pass it in whatever engages and interests the attention. It was 
fought on a conspicuous eminence, in the immediate neighborhood of 
a populous city ; and consequently in the view of thousands of spec- 
tators. The attacking army moved over a sheet of water to the 
assault. The operations and movements were of course all visible 
and all distinct. Those who looked on from the houses and heights of 
Boston had a fuller view of every important operation and event, than 
can ordinarily be had of any battle, or than can possibly be had of 
such as are fought on a more extended ground, or by detachments of 
troops acting in different places, and at different times, and in some 
measure independently of each other. — When the British columns 
were advancing to the attack, the flames of Charlestown, (fired, as is 
generally supposed, by a shell,) began to ascend. The spectators, 



-^*^—= ^ 




Mm m 

WM4M X ^ Pi ' : ^ — 



%r 



21 



BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL. 



323 



far outnumbering both armies, thronged and crowded on every height 
and every point which afforded a view of the scene, themselves con- 
stituting a very important part of it. 

The troops of the two armies seemed like so many combatants in 
an amphitheatre. — The manner in which they should acquit them- 
selves, was to be judged of, not as in other cases of military engage- 
ments, by reports and future history, but by a vast and anxious 
assembly already on the spot, and waiting with unspeakable concern 
and emotion the progress of the day. 

In other battles the recollection of wives and children has been 
used as an excitement to animate the warrior's breast and nerve his 
arm. Here was not a mere recollection, but an actual presence of 
them and olher dear connexions, hanging on the skirts of the battle, 
anxious and agitated, feeling almost as if wounded themselves by 
every blow of the enemy, and putting forth, as it were, their own 
strength, and all the energy of their own throbbing bosoms, into 
every gallant effort of their warring friends. 

But there was a more comprehensive and vastly more important 
view of that day's contest, than has been mentioned, — a view, indeed, 
which ordinary eyes, bent intently on what was immediately before 
them, did not embrace, but which was perceived in its full extent 
and expansion by minds of a higher order. Those men who were 
at the head of the colonial councils, who had been engaged for years 
in the previous stages of the quarrel with England, and who had 
been accustomed to look forward to the future, were well apprised 
of the magnitude of the events likely to hang on the business of that 
day. They saw in it not only a battle, but the beginning of a civil 
war, of unmeasured extent and uncertain issue. All America and 
all England were likely to be deeply concerned in the consequences. 
The individuals themselves, who knew full well what agency they 
had had in bringing affairs to this crisis, had need of all their courage ; 
— not that disregard of personal safety, in which the vulgar suppose 
true courage to consist, but that high and fixed moral sentiment, 
that steady and decided purpose, which enables men to pursue a 
distant end, with a full view of the difficulties and dangers before 
them, and with a conviction that, before they arrive at the proposed 
end, should they ever reach it, they must pass through evil report 
as well as good report, and be liable to obloquy, as well as to defeat. 

Spirits, that fear nothing else, fear disgrace ; and this danger is 
necessarily encountered by those who engage in civil war. Unsuc- 
cessful resistance is not only ruin to its authors, but is esteemed, and 
necessarily so, by the laws of all countries, treasonable. This is the 
case, at least till resistance becomes so general and formidable as to 



324 



JOSEPH WARREN. 



assume, the form of regular war. But who can tell, when resistance 
commences, whether it will attain even to that degree of success ? 
Some of those persons who signed the Declaration of Independence 
in 1776, described themselves as signing it, ' as with halters about 
their necks.' If there were grounds for this remark in 1776, when 
the cause had become so much more general, how much greater was 
the hazard, when the battle of Bunker Hill was fought ? 

These considerations constituted, to enlarged and liberal minds, 
the moral sublimity of the occasion ; while to the outward senses the 
movement of armies, the roar of artillery, the brilliancy of the reflec- 
tion of a summer's sun, from the burnished armor of the British 
columns, and the 8am.es of a burning town, made up a scene of extra- 
ordinary grandeur."' 

This eminence has become sacred ground. It contains in its 
bosom the ashes of the brave who died fighting to defend their altars 
and their homes. Strangers from all countries visit this spot, for it 
is associated in their memories with a Marathon and Plataea, and 
all the mighty struggles of determined freemen. Our citizens love 
to wander over this field — the aged to awake recollections, and the 
youthful to excite heroic emotions. The battle-ground is now all 
plainly to be seen — the spirit of modern improvement, which would 
stop the streams of Helicon to turn a mill, and cause to be felled 
the trees of Paradise to make a rafter, has yet spared this hallowed 
height. 

If "the days of chivalry be gone forever," and the high and en- 
thusiastic feelings of generosity and magnanimity be not so widely 
diffused as in more heroic ages, yet it cannot be denied but that there 
have been, and still are, individuals whose bosoms are warmed with 
a spirit as glowing and ethereal as ever swelled the heart of "mailed 
knight," who, in the ecstasies of love, religion and martial glory, 
joined the war-cry on the plains of Palestine, or proved his steel on 
the infidel foe. The history of every revolution is interspersed with 
brilliant episodes of individual prowess. The pages of our own his- 
tory, when fully written out, will sparkle profusely with these gems 
of romantic valor. 

The calmness and indifference of the veteran " in clouds of dust 
and seas of* blood," can only be acquired by long acquaintance with 
the trade of death ; but the heights of Charlestown will bear eternal 
testimony how suddenly, in the cause of freedom, the peaceful citi- 
zen can become the invincible warrior — stung by oppression, he 
springs forward from his tranquil pursuits, undaunted by opposition, 
and undismayed by danger, to fight even to death for the defence of 
his rights. Parents, wives, children and country, all the hallowed 



CHARACTER OF WARREN. 



325 



properties of existence, are to him the talisman that takes fear from 
his heart, and nerves his arm to victory. 

In the requiem over those who have fallen in the cause of their 
country, which 

" Time with his own eternal lips shall sing," 

the praises of Warren will be distinctly heard. The blood of those 
patriots who have fallen in the defence of republics, has often " cried 
from the ground" against the ingratitude of the country for which it 
was shed. Toward Warren there was no ingratitude — our country is 
free from this stain. Congress were the guardians of his honor, and 
remembered that his children were unprotected orphans. Within a 
year after his death, Congress passed the following resolutions : — 

That a monument be erected to the memory of General Warren, 
in the town of Boston, with the following inscription : 

IN HONOR OF 

JOSEPH WARREN, 

MAJOR GENERAL OF MASSACHUSETTS BAT. 

BE DEVOTED HI3 LITE 



TO THE LIBERTIES OF HIS COUNTRY, 

AND IN BRAVELY DEFENDING THEM, 
FELL AN EARLT VICTIM 

IN THE 

BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL, 
June 17, 1775. 

The Congress of the United States, as 
an acknowledgment of his services 
and distinguished merit, have erected 

THIS MONUMENT, 

TO HIS 

MEMORY. 

It was resolved likewise, " That the eldest son of General Warren 
should be educated from that time at the expense of the United 
States." On the first of July, 1780, Congress recognizing these 
former resolutions, further resolved " That it should be recommended 
to the executive of Massachusetts Bay to make, provision for the 
maintenance and education of his three younger children. And that 
Congress would defray the expense to the amount of the half pay of 



320 



JOSEPH WARREN. 



a major-general, to commence at the time of his death, and continue 
till the youngest of the children should be of age." 

The other heroes of Bunker Hill have their memory consecrated 
in the splendid granite monument erected by subscription on the 
battle ground. 

The corner stone of this monument was laid by Lafayette, on the 
fiftieth anniversary of the battle (June 17th, 1825,) in the presence 
of myriads of spectators. Many of the aged survivors of the battle, 
witnessed the scene, and the eloquence of Webster gave it additional 
interest. Such august ceremonials seldom occur in the history of 
any country. 



i 




Bunker Hill Monument 




COLONEL WILLIAM WASHINGTON, 





OLONEL in the American 
army, was the eldest son of 
Baily Washington, Esq., of 
/ Stafford county, in the state 
of Virginia ; and belonged to 
a younger branch of the original Wash- 
ington family. 

In the commencement of the war, 
and at an early period of life, he had 
entered the army, as captain of a com- 
pany of infantry under the command 
of General Mercer. In this corps, he 
had acquired from actual service, a practical knowledge of the pro- 
fession of arms. 

He fought in the battle of Long Island ; and in his retreat through 
New Jersey, accompanied his great kinsman, cheerful under the 
gloom, coolly confronting the danger, and bearing, with exemplary 
fortitude and firmness, the heavy misfortunes and privations of the 
time. 

In the successful attack on the British post at Trenton, Captain 
Washington acted a brilliant, and most important part. Perceiving 
the enemy about to form a battery, and point it into a narrow street, 

327 



328 



WILLIAM WASHINGTON. 




James Monroe. 

against the advancing American column, he charged them, at the 
head of his company, drove them from their guns, and thus prevented 
certainly the effusion of much blood, perhaps the repulse of the assail- 
ing party. In this act of heroism, he received a severe wound in 
the wrist. It is but justice to add, that on this occasion, Captain 
Washington was ably and most gallantly supported by Lieutenant 
Monroe, late President of the United States, who also sustained a 
wound in the hand. 

Shortly after this adventure, Washington was promoted to a 
majority in a regiment of horse. In this command he was very 
actively engaged in the northern and middle states, with various 
success, until the year 1780. Advanced to the rank of lieutenant- 
colonel, and placed at the head of a regiment of cavalry, composed 
of the remains of three that had been reduced, by sickness and battle, 
he was then attached to the army under General Lincoln, engaged 
in the defence of South Carolina. 

Here his service was various, and his course eventful ; marked by 
a few brilliant strokes of fortune, but checkered with two severe 
disasters. The first of these reverses was at Monk's Corner, where 
he himself commanded ; the other at Leneau's Ferry, where he was 
second in command to Colonel White. 






colonel Washington's stratagem. 329 

Inured to an uncommon extent and variety of hard service, and 
sufficiently disciplined in the school of adversity, Colonel Washing- 
ton, although a young man, was now a veteran in military experi- 
ence. Added to this, he was somewhat accustomed to a warm 
climate, and had acquired, from actual observation, considerable 
knowledge of that tract of country which was to constitute in future 
the theatre of war. 

Such was this officer when at the head of a regiment of cavalry, 
he was attached to the army of General Greene. 

One of his partisan exploits, however, the result of a well-con- 
ceived stratagem, must be succinctly narrated. 

Having learned, during a scouting excursion, that a large body 
of loyalists, commanded by Colonel Rugeley, was posted at Rugeley's 
mill, twelve miles from Camden, he determined on attacking them. 

Approaching the enemy, he found them so secured in a large log 
barn, surrounded by abattis, as to be perfectly safe from the opera- 
tions of cavalry. 

Forbidden thus to attempt his object by direct attack, his usual 
and favorite mode of warfare, he determined for once to have re- 
course to policy. 

Shaping, therefore, a pine log in imitation of a field-piece, mount- 
ing it on wheels, and staining it with mud to make it look like iron, 
he brought it up in military style, and affected to make arrangements 
to batter down the barn. 

To give the stratagem solemnity and effect, he despatched a flag 
warning the garrison of the impending destruction, and to prevent 
bloodshed, summoned them to submission. 

Not prepared to resist artillery, Colonel Rugeley obeyed the sum- 
mons : and with a garrison of one hundred and three, rank and file, 
surrendered at discretion. 

In the spring of 1782, Colonel Washington married Bliss Elliot, of 
Charleston, and established himself at Sandy Hill, her ancestral seat. 

After the conclusion of peace, he took no other concern in public 
affairs than to appear occasionally in the legislature of South Carolina. 

When General Washington accepted the command in chief of the 
armies of the United States, under the presidency of Mr. Adams, he 
selected as one of his staff, his kinsman Colonel William Washing- 
ton, with the rank of brigadier-general. Had other proof been want- 
ing, this alone was sufficient to decide his military worth. Colonel 
Washington died on the 6th of March, 1810. 

In private life he was a man of unsullied honor, united to an 
amiable temper, lively manners, a hospitable disposition, and a truly 
benevolent heart. 




MAJOR GENERAL JAMES CLINTON. 





■*4fcltW. 



ENERAL CLINTON was the 

fourth son of Colonel Charles 
Clinton, and was born in Ulster 
county, New York, August \ 9th, 
1736. In common with his 
brothers, he received an excellent education. 
In the critical and eventful affairs of 
tlfcfes nations, when their rights and interests are 
invaded, Providence, in the plenitude of its 
ss beneficence, has generally provided men 
qualified to raise the standard of resistance, 
and has infused a redeeming spirit into the community, which enabled 
it to rise superior to the calamities that menaced its liberty and its 
prosperity. History does not record a more brilliant illustration of 
this truth than the American Revolution. In defiance of the most 
appalling considerations, constellations of the most illustrious men, 
pierced the dark and gloomy clouds which enveloped this oppressed 
people, and shone forth in the councils and the armies of the nation. 
Their wisdom drew forth the resources, and their energy vindicated 
the rights of America. They took their lives in their hands, and 
liberty or death was inscribed on their hearts. Amidst this gallant 
band, General Clinton stood deservedly conspicuous. To an iron 
constitution and an invincible courage, he added great coolness in 
action and perseverance in effort. The predominant inclination of 

330 



SERVICE IN THE OLD FRENCH WAR. 331 

his mind was to a military life, and by a close attention to the studies 
connected with it, he prepared himself to perform those duties which 
afterward devolved upon him, and thereby established his character 
as an intrepid and skilful officer. 

In the war of 1756, usually denominated the old French war, Clin- 
ton first encountered the fatigues and dangers of a military life. He 
was a captain under Colonel Bradstreet, at the capture of Fort Fron- 
tenac, and rendered essential service in that expedition by the capture 
of a sloop of war on Lake Ontario. 

His company was placed in row-galleys, and favored by a calm, 
compelled the French vessels to strike, after an obstinate resistance. 
His designation as captain commandant of the four companies, raised 
for the protection of the western frontiers of the counties of Orange 
and Ulster, was a post of great responsibility and hazard, and demon- 
strated the confidence of the government. The safety of a line of 
settlements, extending at least, fifty miles, was intrusted to his vigi- 
lance and intrepidity. The ascendency of the French over the ruth- 
less savages, was always predominant, and the inhabitant of the 
frontiers was compelled to hold the plough with one hand, for his 
sustenance, and to grasp his gun with the other, for his defence ; 
and he was constantly in danger of being awakened, in the hour of 
darkness, by the war-whoop of the savages, to witness the confiagra 
tion of his dwelling and the murder of his family. 

After the termination of the French war, Mr. Clinton married 
Mary De Witt, and he retired from the camp to enjoy the repose of 
domestic life. 

When the American revolution was on the eve of its commence- 
ment, he was appointed, on the 30th June, 1775, by the continental 
congress, colonel of the third regiment of New York forces. On 
the 25th of October following, he was appointed by the provincial 
congress of New York, colonel of the regiment of foot in Ulster 
county; on the 8th of March, 1776, by the continental congress, 
colonel of the second battalion of New York troops ; and on the 9th 
of August, 1776, a brigadier-general in the army of the United 
States ; in which station he continued during the greater part of the 
war, having the command of the New York line, or the troops of that 
state ; and at its close he was constituted a major-general. 

In 1775, his regiment composed part of the army under General 
Montgomery, which invaded Canada ; and he participated in all the 
fatigues, dangers, and privations of that celebrated, but unfortunate, 
expedition. 

In October, 1777, he commanded at Fort Clinton, which, together 
with its neighbor, Fort Montgomery, constituted the defence of the 



332 



JAMES CLINTON. 



Hudson river, against the ascent of an enemy. His brother, the 
governor, commanded in chief at both forts. Sir Henry Clinton, 
with a view to create a division in favor of General Burgoyne, moved 
up the Hudson with an army of four thousand men, and attacked 
those works, which were very imperfectly fortified, and only de- 
fended by five hundred men, composed principally of militia. After 
a most gallant resistance, the forts were carried by storm. General 
Clinton was the last man who left the works, and not until he was 
severely wounded by the thrust of a bayonet ; pursued and fired at 
by the enemy, and his attending servant killed. He bled profusely, 
and when he dismounted from his war-horse, in order to effect his 
escape from the enemy, who were close on him, it occurred to him 
that he must either perish on the mountains or be captured, unless 
he could supply himself with another horse ; an animal which some- 
times roamed at large in that wild region. In this emergency he 
took the bridle from his horse, and slid down a precipice of one hun- 
dred feet to the ravine of the creek which separated the forts, and 
feeling cautiously his way along its precipitous banks, he reached 
the mountain at a distance from the enemy, after having fallen into 
the stream, the cold water of which arrested a copious effusion of 
blood. The return of light furnished him with the sight of a horse, 
which conveyed him to his house, about sixteen miles from the fort, 
where he arrived about noon, covered with blood and laboring under 
a severe fever. In his helpless condition the British passed up the 
Hudson, within a few miles of his house, and destroyed the town of 
Kingston. 

The cruel ravages and horrible irruptions of the Iroquois, or Six 
Nations of Indians, on our frontier settlements, rendered it necessary 
to inflict a terrible chastisement, which would prevent a repetition 
of their atrocities. An expedition was accordingly planned, and 
their principal command was committed to General Sullivan, who 
was to proceed up the Susquehanna, with the main body of the army, 
while General Clinton was to join him by the way of the Mohawk. 

The Iroquois inhabited, or occasionally occupied that immense 
and fertile region which composes the western parts of New York 
and Pennsylvania, and besides their own ravages, from the vicinity 
of their settlements to the inhabited parts of the United States, they 
facilitated the inroads of the more remote Indians. When General 
Sullivan was on his way to the Indian country, he was joined by 
General Clinton with upwards of sixteen hundred men. The latter 
had gone up the Mohawk in batteaux, from Schenectady, and after 
ascending that river about fifty-four miles, he conveyed his batteaux 
'rom Canajoharie to the head of Otsego lake, one of the sources 



EXPEDITION TO THE INDIAN COUNTRY. 335 




PurBuit of the Indians. 

of the Susquehanna. Finding the stream of water, in that river, too 
low to float his boats, he erected a dam across the mouth of the lake, 
which soon rose to the altitude of the dam. Having got his batteaux 
ready, he opened a passage through the dam for the water to flow. 
This raised the river so high that he was enabled to embark all his 
troops ; to float them down to Tioga, and to join General Sullivan 
in good season. The Indians collected their strength at Newtown ; 
took possession of proper ground, and fortified it with judgment, and 
on the 29th August, 1779, an attack was made on them; their 
works were forced, and their consternation was so great, that they 
abandoned all further resistance ; for, as the Americans advanced 
into their settlements, they retreated before them without throwing 
any obstructions in their way. The army passed between the Cayuga 
and Seneca lakes, by Geneva and Canandaigua, and as far west as 
the Genessee river, destroying large settlements and villages, and 
fields of corn ; orchards of fruit-trees, and gardens abounding with 
esculent vegetables. The progress of the Indians in agriculture, 
struck the Americans with astonishment. Many of their ears of 
corn measured twenty-two inches in length. They had horses, cows, 
and hogs in abundance. They manufactured salt and sugar, and 
raised the best of apples and peaches, and their dwellings were large 
and commodious. The desolation of their settlements, the destruc- 
tion of their provisions, and the conflagration of their houses, drove 



336 JAMES CLINTON. 

them to the British fortresses of Niagara for subsistence, where, living 
on salt provisions, to which they were unaccustomed, they died in 
great numbers, and the effect of this expedition was, to diminish their 
population ; to damp their ardor ; to check their arrogance ; to 
restrain their cruelty, and to inflict an irrecoverable blow on their 
resources of extensive aggression. General Will air.son and Colonel 
Pickens also attacked the Indians, and drove them into the settled 
towns of the Creeks, about the same time. 

For a considerable portion of the war, General Clinton was sta- 
tioned at Albany, where he commanded, in the northern department 
of the Union, a place of high responsibility, and requiring uncommon 
vigilance and continual exertion. An incident occurred, when on 
this command, which strongly illustrates his character. A regiment 
which had been ordered to march, mutinied under arms, and peremp- 
torily refused obedience. The general, on being apprised of this, 
immediately repaired with his pistols to the ground : he went up to 
the head of the regiment and ordered it to march ; a silence ensued, 
and the order was not complied with. He then presented a pistol to 
the breast of a sergeant, who was the ringleader, and commanded 
him to proceed on pain of death ; and so on in succession along the 
line, and his command was, in every instance, obeyed, and the regi- 
ment restored to entire and complete subordination and submission. 

General Clinton was at the siege of Yorktown and the capture of 
Cornwallis, where he distinguished himself by his usual intrepidity. 

His last appearance in arms, was on the evacuation of the city of 
New York, by the British. He then bid the commander-in-chief a 
final and affectionate adieu, and retired to his ample estates, where 
he enjoyed that repose which was required by a long period of fatigue 
and privation. 

He was, however, frequently called from his retirement by the 
unsolicited voice of his fellow-citizens, to perform civic duties. He 
was appointed a commissioner to adjust the boundary line between 
Pennsylvania and New York, which important measure was amicably 
and successfully accomplished. He was also selected by the legis- 
lature for an interesting mission, to settle controversies about lands 
in the west, which also terminated favorably. He represented his 
native county in the assembly, and in the convention that adopted 
the present constitution of the United States, and he was elected, 
without opposition, a senator from the middle district ; all which 
trusts he executed with perfect integrity, with solid intelligence, and 
with the full approbation of his constituents. 

The temper of General Clinton was mild and affectionate, but 
•vhen raised by unprovoked or unmerited injury, he exhibited extra- 



DEATH OF CLINTON. 



337 



ordinary and appalling energy. In battle he was as coo] and as 
collected as if sitting by his fireside. Nature intended him for a 
gallant and efficient soldier, when she endowed him with the faculty 
of entire self-possession in the midst of the greatest dangers. 

He died on the 22d of December, 1812, and was interred in the 
family burial-place in Orange county ; and his monumental stone 
bears the following inscription : 

" Underneath are interred the remains of James Clinton, Esquire. 

He was born the 9th of August, 1736; and died the 22d of 
December, 1812. 

His life was principally devoted to the military service of his 
country, and he had filled with fidelity and honor, several distin- 
guished civil offices. 

He was an officer in the revolutionary war, and the war preceding ; 
and, at the close of the former, was a major-general in the army of 
the United States. He was a good man and a sincere patriot, per- 
forming, in the most exemplary manner, all the duties of life ; and 
he died, as he lived, without fear, and without reproach." 




British Costume, 1777. 
22 






MONG the many distinguished 
patriots of the Revolution, who 
have become tenants of the tomb, 
the services of none will be more 
readily acknowledged, than those 
of the late venerable George Clinton. He 
is descended from a respectable and worthy 
family, and was born on the 26th July, 
1739, in the county of Ulster, in the colony 
of New York. His father, Colonel Charles 
Clinton, was an emigrant from Ireland. 

In early youth he was put to the study of law ; but long before he 
became a man, he rallied under the standard of his country, and 
assisted Amherst in the reduction of Montreal. In this campaign he 
nobly distinguished himself in a conflict on the northern waters, 

338 



ELECTED GOVERNOR OF NEW YORK. 339 

when, with four gun-boats, after a severe engagement, he captured a 
French brig of eighteen guns. 

This war being ended, he returned again to his favorite pursuit, the 
science of the law, and placed himself under the tuition of Chief 
Justice Smith, where he became a student with Governeur Morris, 
between whom and himself, a difference of political opinion, in after 
life wrought a separation. 

He had scarcely commenced as a practitioner, when, in 1765, the 
storm appeared to gather round his native land, and the tyrannic dis- 
position of the mother country was manifested. Foreseeing the 
evil at hand, with a mind glowing with patriotism, correct and quick 
in its perceptions ; and like time, steady and fixed to the achieve- 
ment of its objects, he abandoned the advantages of the profession to 
which he had been educated, and became a member of the colonial 
legislature ; where he ever displayed a love of liberty, an inflexible 
attachment to the rights of his country, and that undaunted firmness 
and integrity, without which this nation never would have been free ; 
and which has ever formed the most brilliant, though by no means 
the most useful trait of his character. He was chief of the Whig 
party. 

In this situation he remained, contending against the doctrine of 
British supremacy ; and with great strength of argument, and force 
of popularity, supporting the rights of America, till the crisis arrived 
when, in 1775, he was returned a member of that patriotic congress, 
who laid the foundation of our independence. While in this vener- 
able body, it may be said of him with truth, that " he strengthened 
the feeble knees, and the hands that hang down." On the 4th of 
July, 1776, he was present at the glorious declaration of independ- 
ence, and assented with his usual energy and decision, to that mea- 
sure, but having been appointed a brigadier-general in the militia, and 
also in the continental army, the exigencies of his country at that 
trying hour, rendered it necessary for him to take the field in person, 
and he therefore retired from congress immediately after his vote was 
given, and before the instrument was transcribed for the signature 
of the members ; for which reason his name does not appear among 
the signers. 

A constitution having been adopted, for the state of New York, 
in April, 1777, he was chosen at the first election under it, both 
governor and lieutenant-governor, and was continued in the former 
office for eighteen years. In this year he was also appointed by 
congress to command the post of the Highlands, a most important 
and arduous duty. The design of the enemy was to separate New 
England from the rest of the nation, and by preventing succor from 



340 GEORGE CLINTON. 

the east, to lay waste the middle and southern country. Had this 
plan been carried into effect, American liberty would probably have 
expired in its cradle. It was then that his vast and comprehensive 
genius viewed in its true light the magnitude of the evil contem- 
plated ; and he roused to a degree of energy unknown and unex- 
pected. It was then that Burgoyne was, with the best appointed 
army ever seen in America, attempting to force his way to Albany, 
and Howe attempting to effect a junction with him at that important 
place. 

The crisis was all important, and Clinton did not hesitate — he de- 
termined at all hazards to save his country. With this view, when 
Howe attempted to ascend the. river, Clinton from every height and 
angle assailed him. His gallant defence of Fort Montgomery, with 
a handful of men, against a powerful force commanded by Sir Henry 
Clinton, was equally honorable to his intrepidity and his skill. The 
following are the particulars of his gallant conduct at the storming 
of forts Montgomery and Clinton, in October, 1777. 

" When the British reinforcements, under General Robertson, 
amounting to nearly two thousand men, arrived from Europe, Sir 
Henry Clinton used the greatest exertion, and availed himself of 
every favorable circumstance, to put these troops into immediate 
operation. Many were sent to suitable vessels, and united in the 
expedition, which consisted of about four thousand men, against the 
forts in the Highlands. Having made the necessary arrangements, 
he moved up the North river, and landed on the 4th of October at 
Tarrytown, purposely to impress General Putnam, under whose 
command a thousand continental troops had been left, with a belief, 
that his post at Peekskill was the object of attack. At eight o'clock 
at night, the general communicated the intelligence to Governor 
Clinton, of the arrival of the British, and at the same time expressed 
his opinion respecting their destination. The designs of Sir Henry 
were immediately perceived by the governor, who prorogued the 
assembly on the following day, and arrived that night at Fort Mont- 
gomery. The British troops in the mean time, were secretly con- 
veved across the river, and assaults upon our forts were meditated to 
be made on the 6th, which were accordingly put in execution, by 
attacking the American advanced party at Doodletown, about two 
miles and a half from Fort Montgomery. The Americans received 
the fire of the British, and retreated to Fort Clintoa. The enemy 
then advanced to the west side of the mountain, in order to attack 
our troops in the rear. Governor Clinton immediately ordered out 
a detachment of one hundred men toward Doodletown, and another 
of sixty, with a brass field-piece, to an eligible spot on another road. 



*& 



CAPTURE OF FORT CLINTON. 343 

They were both soon attacked by the whole force of the enemy, and 
compelled to fall back. It has been remarked, that the talents, as 
well as the temper of a commander, are put to as severe a test in 
conducting a retreat, as in achieving a victory. The truth of this 
Governor Clinton experienced, when, with great bravery, and the 
most perfect order, he retired till he reached the fort. He lost no 
time in placing his men in the best manner that circumstances would 
admit. His post, however, as well as Fort Clinton, in a few minutes 
were invaded on every side. In the midst of this disheartening and 
appalling disaster, he was summoned, when the sun was only an hour 
high, to surrender in five minutes ; but his gallant spirit sternly 
refused to obey the call. In a short time after, the British made a 
general and most desperate attack on both posts, which was received 
by the Americans with undismayed courage and resistance. Officers 
and men, militia and continentals, all behaved nobly. An incessant 
fire was kept up till dusk, when our troops were overpowered by 
numbers, who forced the lines and redoubts at both posts. Many of 
the Americans fought their way out, others accidentally mixed with 
the enemy, and thus made their escape effectually; for, besides 
being favored by the night, they knew the various avenues in the 
mountains. The governor, as well as his brother, General James 
Clinton, who was wounded, were not taken." 

Howe, driven to madness by the manly resistance of his foes, 
inconsiderately landed and marched into the country, and immortal- 
ized his name by burning Kingston and other villages. But the great 
object of the expedition, the forming a conjunction with Burgoyne, 
was happily defeated, by the capture of that general, and America 
was free. 

From this moment, for eighteen years in succession, he remained 
the governor of New York, re-elected to that important station by a 
generous and wise people, who knew how to appreciate his wisdom 
and virtue, and their own blessings. During this period, he was 
president of the convention of that state, which ratified the national 
constitution : when, as in all other situations, he undeviatingly mani- 
fested an ardent attachment to civil liberty. 

After the life of labor and usefulness, here faintly portrayed ; worn 
with the fatigues of duty, and with a disease which then afflicted 
him, but which had been removed for the last eight years of his life ; 
having led his native state to eminent, if not unrivalled importance 
and prosperity, he retired from public life, with a mind resolved not 
to mingle again with governmental concerns, and to taste those 
sweets which result from reflecting on a life well spent. 

In 1805 he was chosen Vice-President of the United States, by 



344 



CEORGE CLINTON. 



the same number of votes that elevated Mr. Jefferson to the presi- 
dency ; in which station he discharged his duties with unremitted 
attention ; presiding with great dignity in the senate, and evincing, 
by his votes and his opinions, his decided hostility to constructive 
authority, and to innovations on the established principles of repub- 
lican government. 

He died at Washington, when attending to his duties as Vice- 
President, and was interred in that city, where a monument was 
erected by the filial piety of his children, with this inscription, written 
by his nephew : — 

" To the memory of George Clinton. He was born in the state 
of New York, on the 26th July, 1739, and died in the city of Wash- 
ington, on the 20th April, 1812, in the 73d year of his age." 

" He was a soldier and statesman of the Revolution. Eminent in 
council, and distinguished in war, he filled, with unexampled useful- 
ness, purity, and ability, among many other offices, those of Governor 
of his native state, and of Vice-President of the United States. 
While he lived, his virtue, wisdom, and valor were the pride, the 
ornament, and security of his country, and when he died, he left an 
illustrious example of a well spent life, worthy of all imitation." 





MAJOR GENERAL ANDREW PICKENS. 




to the 
age of 



HIS able commander was born in 
Bucks county, Pennsylvania, on 
the 13th of September, 1739. 
His ancestors were driven from 
France by the revocation of the 
edict of Nantz. They first settled in 
Scotland, and afterwards in the north of 
Ireland. His father emigrated to Penn- 
sylvania, from whence he removed to 
Augusta county, Virginia, and soon after 
Waxhaws, in South Carolina, before Andrew had attained the 
manhood. 

345 



346 



ANDREW PICKENS. 



Like many of our most distinguished officers of the Revolution, 
he commenced his military services in the French war, which 
terminated in 1763, when he began to develope those qualities 
for which he was afterwards so eminently distinguished In the 
year 1761, he served as a volunteer with Moultrie and Marion, 
in a bloody but successful expedition, under Lieutenant-Colonel 
Grant, a British officer, sent by General Amherst to command 
agrainst the Cherokees. After the termination of the war, he 
removed to the Long Cane settlement, and was wholly engaged 
for several years in the usual pursuits of a frontier country ; hunting 
and agriculture. 

At an early period he took a decided stand against the right 
claimed by Great Britain, to tax her colonies without their con- 
sent ; and at the commencement of the Revolution was appointed 
captain of militia. The distinguished part which he acted in the 
struggle for independence, has been recorded by the historian, and 
the principal events can only be alluded to in the present sketch. 
His zeal and skill were rewarded by his country, by his being 
rapidly promoted to the respective commands of major, colonel, 
and brigadier-general. In the most despondent time, when this 
section of the Union was overrun by the enemy, and suffered from 
the tories all the horrors of civil war, he remained unshaken, and 
with Marion and Sumpter kept up the spirit of resistance. He 
commanded in chief in the expedition against the Cherokees, in 
1781; and such was his success, that in a few days, with an incon- 
siderable force, he subdued the spirit of that then powerful nation, 
and laid the foundation of a peace so permanent that it has not since 
been disturbed. 

At Kettle Creek his conduct was equally distinguished and suc- 
cessful ; with half the force he defeated, after a severe contest, a 
large body of tories, under the command of Colonel Boyd. The 
results of this victory were highly important. It broke the spirit of 
the tories, and secured the internal peace for a considerable time of 
the interior of the Carolinas and Georgia. No less conspicuous was 
his conduct at the Cowpens. He there commanded the militia forces : 
and, animated by the spirit and courage of their commander in that 
important battle, they fairly won an equal share of glory with the 
continentals, under Colonel Howard. For his gallantry and conduct 
on that occasion, Congress voted him a sword. At the Eutaw he 
commanded, with Marion, the militia of the two Carolinas ; but in 
the early part of the action received a severe wound in his breast 
by a musket ball. His life was providentially saved by the ball 
striking the buckle of his sword. 



FALL OF CHARLESTON. 



347 




N that dark hour of the 
Revolution, when Charles- 
ton fell, and the victorious 
Britons spreading themselves 
over the country, advanced into 
the interior, the revived resent- 
ments of the royalists com- 
pelled Colonel Pickens, and the 
steady adherents of the cause 
fc^._ of freedom, to abandon 



fi§ 



their habitations and 
country, and seek for 
refuge in North Caro- 
lina. So soon, however, 
as General Greene had 
taken command of the army, and ordered General Morgan to enter 
the western division of the state, to check the aggressions of the 
enemy, and to revive the drooping spirits of the whig inhabitants, 
Colonel Pickens was found the most active among his associates, 
seconding his enterprises, and by gentleness and conciliation attach- 
ing new adherents to the cause. Of his intrepid conduct, at the 
battle of the Cowpens, it is scarcely necessary to speak. It is a 
well-known fact, that he not only prevailed upon his riflemen to 
retain their fire till it could be given with deadly effect, but, when 
broken, and compelled to retreat, that he rallied them ; and what 
had never before been effected with militia, brought them a second 
time to meet their enemy, and by continued exertion to accomplish 
their final surrender. 

Peace being restored, the voice of his country called him to serve 
her in various civil capacities ; and he continued, without interrup- 
tion, in public employment until about 1801. By the treaty of 
Hopewell, with the Cherokees, in which he was one of the commis- 
sioners, the cession of that portion of the state now called Pendleton 
and Greenville, was obtained. Soon after he settled at Hopewell, 
on KeOwee river, where the treaty was held. He was a member of 
the legislature, and afterwards of the convention which formed the 
state constitution. He was elected a member under the new consti- 
tution, until 1794, when he became a member of Congress. De- 
clining a re-election to Congress, he was again returned a member 
to the legislature, in which post he continued until about 1811. 
Such was the confidence of General Washington in him, that he 
requested his attendance at Philadelphia, to consult with him on the 
practicability and best means of civilizing the southern Indians ; and 



348 ANDREW PICKENS. 

he also offered him the command of a brigade of light troops, under 
the command of General Wayne, in his campaigns against the 
northern Indians ; which he declined. Tn 1794, when the militia 
was first organized conformable to the act of Congress, he was 
appointed one of the two major generals ; which commission he 
resigned after holding it a few years. He was employed by the 
United States as a commissioner in all the treaties with the southern 
Indians, until he withdrew from public life. 

Determining to enjoy that serenity and tranquillity which he ha J so 
greatly contributed to establish, with the simplicity of the early times 
of the Roman republic, he retired from the busy scenes of life, and 
settled on his farm at Tomussee, (a place peculiarly interesting to 
him,) where he devoted himself with little interruption to domestic 
pursuits and reflection until his death. In this tranquil period, few 
events happened to check the tenor of his happy and virtuous life. 
Revered and beloved by all, his house, though remote from the more 
frequented parts of the state, was still the resort of numerous friends 
and relations ; and often received the visits of the enlightened 
traveller. Such was the gentle current of his latter years ; still, of 
earthly objects, his country was the first in his affections. He viewed 
with great interest our late struggle, and the causes which excited it, 
distinctly perceiving, that in its consequences the prosperity, inde- 
pendence and glory of his country were deeply involved; he was 
alive to its various incidents. In this hour of danger the eyes of his 
fellow citizens were again turned to their tried servant ; without his 
knowledge he was again called by the spontaneous voice of his fel- 
low citizens into public service. Confidence thus expressed could 
not be disregarded ; he accepted a seat in the legislature in 1812, and 
was pressed to serve as governor at this eventful crisis, which, with 
his characteristic moderation and good sense, he declined. He 
thought the struggle should be left to more youthful hands. 

General Pickens died in South Carolina, on the 1 1th of October, 
1817. 

In his domestic circumstances he was fortunate : by industry and 
attention he soon acquired a competency ; and never desired more. 
He married in early life, has left a numerous and prosperous off- 
spring, and his consort, the sister of John E. Calhoun, formerly a 
senator in Congress, died but a few years before him. 

Of his private character little need be said ; for among its strong- 
est features was simplicity without contrariety or change ; from his 
youth to age he was ever distinguished for a punctual performance 
of all the duties of life. He was from early life a firm believer in 
the christian religion, and an influential member of the Presby- 



DEATH OF PICKENS. 



349 



terian church. The strong points of his character were decision 
and prudence, accompanied, especially in youth, with remarkable 
taciturnity. He was of middle stature, active and robust ; and en- 
joyed, in consequence of the natural goodness of his constitution, and 
from early and combined temperance and activity, almost uninter- 
rupted health to the last moments of his life. He retained much 
of his strength and nearly all his mental vigor in perfection ; and 
died, not in consequence of the exhaustion of nature, or previous 
sickness ; for the stroke of death fell suddenly, and while his personal 
acquaintances were anticipating the addition of many years to his 
life. 




-.— ■ .V ■- v^Ai 




MAJOR GENERAL PHILIP SCHUYLER. 




ENERAL SCHUYLER was a 

native of New York, a member 
of one of the most respectable 
families in that state, and highly 
merits the character of an intel- 
ligent and meritorious officer. As a private 
gentleman, he was dignified but courteous, 
his manners urbane, and his hospitality un- 
bounded. He was justly considered as one 
of the most distinguished champions of 
liberty, and his noble mind soared above 
despair, even at a period when he experienced injustice from the 
public, and when darkness and gloom overspread the land. He was 
able, prompt, and decisive, and his conduct in every branch of duty, 
marked his active industry and rapid execution. 

He received his commission from Congress, June 19th, 1776, and 
was ordered to take command of the expedition against Canada ; 
but, being taken sick, the command devolved upon General Mont- 

350 




burgoyne's invasion. 351 

gomery. On his recovery, he devoted his time, and with the assist- 
ance of General St. Clair, used every effort to stay the progress of a 
veteran and numerous army under Burgoyne, who had commenced 
his march from Canada, on the bold attempt of forming a junction at 
Albany with Sir Henry Clinton. 

The duties of General Schuyler now became laborious, intricate, 
and complicated. On his arrival at head-quarters he found the army 
of the north not only too weak for the objects intrusted to it, but 
also badly supplied with arms, clothes, and provisions. From a spy 
he obtained information that General Burgoyne had arrived at Que- 
bec, and was to take command of the British force on their contem- 
plated expedition. 

A few days removed the doubts which might have existed respect- 
ing the intentions of Burgoyne. It was understood that his army 
was advancing towards the lakes. 

Genera] Schuyler was sensible of the danger which threatened his 
department, and made every exertion to meet it. He visited in per- 
son the different posts, used the utmost activity in obtaining supplies 
of provisions to enable them to hold out in the event of a siege, and 
had proceeded to Albany both for the purpose of attending to the 
supplies, and of expediting the march of Nixon's brigade, whose 
arrival was expected ; when he received intelligence from General 
St. Clair, who was intrusted with the defence of Ticonderoga, that 
Burgoyne had appeared before that place. 

N the course of the preceding winter a 
plan for penetrating to the Hudson from 
Canada by the way of the lakes, was 
completely digested, and its most minute 
parts arranged in the cabinet of St. 
James. General Burgoyne, who assisted 
in forming it, was intrusted with its 
execution, and was to lead a formidable 
army against Ticonderoga, as soon as 
the season would permit. At the same 
time, a smaller party, under Colonel St. Leger, composed of Cana- 
dians, new raised Americans, and a few Europeans, aided by a power- 
ful body of Indians, was to march from Oswego to enter the country 
by the way of the Mohawk, and to join the grand army on the 
Hudson. 

The force assigned for this service was such as the general him- 
self deemed sufficient ; and, as it was the favorite plan of the min- 
ister, no circumstance was omitted which could give to the numbers 
employed their utmost possible efficacy. The troops were furnished 




352 PHILIP SCHUYLER. 

with every military equipment which the service required ; the as- 
sisting general officers were of the first reputation, and the train of 
artillery was, perhaps, the most powerful ever annexed to an army 
not more numerous. 

But valor, perseverance and industry could avail nothing against 
such vast numbers as now assailed th& northern army. Ticonderoga 
was evacuated, and stores, artillery, and military equipage to an im- 
mense amount, fell into the hands of the enemy. 

Knowing the inferiority of his numbers, and that he could only 
hope to save his army by the rapidity of his march, General St. Clair 
reached Charlestown, thirty miles from Ticonderoga, on the night 
succeeding the evacuation of the fort. 

On the 7th of July, at Stillwater, on his way to Ticonderoga, 
General Schuyler was informed of the evacuation of that place, and 
on the same day, at Saratoga, the total loss of the stores at Skeens- 
borough, was also reported to him. From General St. Clair he had 
heard nothing, and the most serious fears were entertained for the 
army commanded by that officer. His force, after being joined by 
Colonel Long, consisted of about fifteen hundred continental troops, 
and the same number of militia. They were dispirited by defeat, 
without tents, badly armed, and had lost a great part of their stores 
and baggage. That part of the country was generally much alarmed, 
and even those who were well affected, discovered, as is usual in 
such circumstances, more inclination to take care of themselves than 
to join the army. 

In this gloomy state of things it is impossible that any officer 
could have used more diligence or judgment than was displayed by 
Schuyler. 

After the evacuation of Fort Anne, Burgoyne found it absolutely 
necessary to suspend for a time all further pursuit, and to give his 
army some refreshment. 

In the present state of things, unable even to looit the enemy in 
the face, it was of unspeakable importance to the American general 
to gain time. This short and unavoidable interval from action, there- 
fore, was seized by Schuyler, whose head-quarters were at Fort 
Edward, and used to the utmost advantage. 

The country between Skeensborough and Fort Edward was almost 
entirely unsettled, covered with thick woods, of a surface extremely 
rough, and much intersected with creeks and morasses. As far as 
Fort Anne, Wood creek was navigable with batteaux ; and artillery, 
military stores, provisions and heavy baggage might be transported 
up it. 

The first moments of rest, while Burgoyne was reassembling his 



EVACUATION OF TICONDEROGA. 



353 



forces at Skeensborousdi, were employed by Schuyler in destroying 
the navigation of Wood creek, by sinking numerous impediments in 
its course, and in breaking up the bridges, and otherwise rendering 
impassable the roads over which the British army must necessarily 
march. He was also indefatigable in driving all the live-stock out 
of the way, and in bringing from Fort George to Fort Edward, am- 
munition and other military stores which had been deposited at that 
place, of which his army was in much need, and which it was essen- 
tial to bring away before the British could remove their gun-boats 
and army into the lake, and possess themselves of the fort. 

While thus endeavoring to obstruct the march of the enemy, he 
was not inattentive to the best means of strengthening his own army. 
Reinforcements of regular troops were earnestly solicited. The 
militia of New England and New York were called for, and all his 
influence in the surrounding country was exerted to reanimate the 
people, and to prevent their defection from the American cause. 

I HE evacuation of Ticonderoga was a 
shock for which no part of the United 
States was prepared. Neither the 
strength of the invading army nor of 
the garrison had been anywhere under- 
stood. The opinion was common that 
no reinforcements had arrived at Que- 
bec that spring, in which case it was 
believed that not more than five thou- 
sand men could be spared from the 
defence of Canada. Those new raised 
regiments of New England and New 
York, which had been allotted to the northern department, had been 
reported, and were believed by the commander-in-chief, and by Con- 
gress, as well as by the community at large, to contain a much greater 
number of effectives than they were found actually to comprehend. 
In addition to these, the officer commanding the garrison, was empow- 
ered to call to his aid such bodies of militia as he might deem necessary 
for the defence of his post. A very few days before the place was 
invested, General Schuyler, from an inspection of the muster rolls, 
had stated the garrison to amount to five thousand men, and the 
supply of provisions to be abundant. When, therefore, it was under- 
stood that a place, on the fortifications of which much money and 
labor had been expended ; which was considered as the key to the 
whole western country, and supposed to contain a garrison nearly 
equal to the invading army, had been abandoned without a siege ; 
that an immense train of artillery, consisting of one hundred and 

23 




354 PHILIP SCHUYLER. 

twenty-eight pieces, and all the baggage, military stores, and provi- 
sions, had either fallen into the hands of the enemy, or been destroyed ; 
that the army on its retreat had been attacked, defeated, and dis- 
persed ; astonishment pervaded all ranks of men ; and the conduct 
of the officers was almost universally condemned. Congress directed 
a recall of all the generals of the department, and an inquiry into 
their conduct. Through New England especially, the most malignant 
aspersions were cast on them, and General Schuyler, who, from 
some unknown cause, had never been viewed with favor in that part 
of the continent, was involved in the common charges of treachery, 
to which this accumulation of unlooked for calamity was very gener- 
ally attributed by the mass of the people. 

On the representations of General Washington, the recall of the 
officers was suspended until he should be of opinion that the state of 
things would admit of such a measure ; and on inquiry afterward 
made into the conduct of the generals, they were acquitted of all 
blame. When the resolutions were passed, directing an inquiry into the 
conduct of Schuyler and St. Clair, appointing a committee to report 
on the mode of conducting the inquiry, and, in the meanwhile, recall- 
ing them and all the brigadiers who had served in that department, 
General Washington was requested to name a successor to Schuyler. 
On his expressing a wish to decline this nomination, and representing 
the inconvenience of removing all the general officers, Gates was 
again directed to repair thither and take the command ; and the reso- 
lution to recall the brigadiers was suspended, until the commander- 
in-chief should be of opinion that it might be carried into effect with 
safety. Schuyler retained the command until the arrival of Gates, 
which was about the 21st of August, and continued his exertions to 
restore the affairs of the department, which had been so much de- 
pressed by the losses consequent on the evacuation of Ticonderoga. 
That officer felt acutely the disgrace of being recalled in this critical 
and interesting state of the campaign, but nobly submitted to the 
decision of his superiors in rank. 

If error be attributed to the evacuation of Ticonderoga, certainly 
no portion of it was committed by Schuyler. His removal from the 
command was probably unjust and severe, as the measure respected 
himself. The patriotism and magnanimity displayed by the ex- 
general, on this occasion, does him high honor. All that could have 
been effected to impede the progress of the British army, had been 
done already. Bridges were broken up, causeways destroyed, trees 
felled in every direction, to retard the conveyance of stores and 
artillery. 

On Gates's arrival, General Schuyler, without the slightest indica 



MAGNANIMITY OF SCHUYLER. 



355 



tion of ill-humor, resigned his command, communicated all the intel- 
ligence he possessed, and put every interesting paper into his hands, 
simply adding, " I have done all that could be done, as far as the 
means were in my power, to injure the enemy and to inspire confi- 
dence in the soldiers of our own army, and I flatter myself with 
some success; but the palm of victory is denied me, and it is left to 
you, general, to reap the fruits of my labors. I will not fail, how- 
ever, to second your views; and my devotion to my country will 
cause me with alacrity to obey all your orders." He performed his 
promise, and faithfully did his duty, till the surrender of Burgoyne 
put an end to the contest. Another anecdote is recorded to his honor. 
General Burgoyne, dining with General Gates, immediately after the 
convention of Saratoga, and hearing General Schuyler named among 
the officers presented to him, thought it necessary to apologize for the 
destruction of his elegant mansion a few days before, by his orders. 
" Make no excuses, general," was the reply ; " I feel myself more 
than compensated by the pleasure of meeting you at this table." The 
court of inquiry, instituted on the conduct of Generals Schuyler and 
St. Clair, resulted with the highest honor to them. General Schuy- 
ler, though not invested with any distinct command, conlinued to 
render important services in the military transactions of New York, 
until the close of the war. 

He was a member of the old Congress ; and represented the state 
of New York in the senate of the United States, when the present 
government commenced its operations. In 1797 he was again ap- 
pointed a senator. He died at Albany, November 18th, 1804, in the 
seventy-third year of his age. 




General Schuyler's Residence, Schuyler? ille. 




COLONEL "WAD3W0BTH AND HIS SON, . 

From an original painting at the Wads-worth Athenseum, Hartford, Connecticut 

COLONEL JEREMIAH WADSWORTH. 



d 



±k 



V HI "N' HE brief notice which our limits permit us to insert 
I wM \ of this gentleman's services to his country, is ex- 
■ '<■ traded from an Address delivered before the Con- 

necticut Historical Society, by their president, the 
Honorable Thomas Day. 

Jeremiah Wadsworth was born at Hartford, on the 
12th of July, 1743. His father died when he was 
but a little more than four years old. Tradition says 
of him, that in his early youth, he was inclined to 
action and sport, rather than to study. While he was yet of a tender 
age, his mother placed him under the care and in the service of her 
brother, Matthew Talcot, Esq., a merchant in Middletown, exten- 
sively concerned in navigation. When he was about eighteen years 
of age, he was taken with spitting blood; and his flesh began to 
waste away. Under these circumstances, he, by the advice of his 
friends, readily accepted the place of a seaman before the mast,, in 
one of his uncle's vessels. Here he soon recovered his health. 
After several voyages — generally short ones — in this capacity, he 

356 



SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 



357 



became, first the mate, and afterwards the master of a vessel. He 
was thus at sea at least ten years. Faithful and efficient in his busi- 
ness, he won the confidence and esteem of his employer, and of all 
who had dealings with him. 

During the latter part of this period, he married Miss Mehitabel 
Russell, daughter of the Rev. William Russell of Middletown. 
After his mother's death in 1773, he, with his family — a wife and 
three children — removed to Hartford, and occupied, in common with 
his sisters, the paternal mansion-house. 

The Revolutionary war, which commenced when he was about 
thirty-two years old, deprived him of his employment at sea. But 
he had become too much a man of business to be idle. It was seen, 
that his experience and tact in buying and selling cargoes, might be 
turned to a profitable account — profitable to his country as well as 
to himself — in furnishing supplies for the army. He was offered the 
place of deputy-commissary under Colonel Joseph Trumbull, which 
he accepted ; and so satisfactorily did he execute its duties, that on 
the resignation of his principal, not long afterwards, he was appointed, 
by Congress, as his successor in office. After the arrival of the 
French troops, he became commissary of the French army, and 
acted in that capacity until the close of the war. 

His official situation, his knowledge of the country and its re- 
sources, his insight into the characters and motives of men, and his 
sound common sense on all subjects, rendered it useful, not to say 
necessary, for the principal officers of the American and French 
army to hold frequent consultations with him. He shared largely 
in their confidence — especially in that of the commander-in-chief. 
Hence they were often his guests ; and his house was always open 
•to them. The following apostrophe to this house after its removal, 
is not less authentic as a record of historical facts, than its diction is 
graceful : 

" Fallen dome — beloved so well, 
Thou could'st many a legend tell 
Of the chiefs of ancient fame, 
Who, to share thy shelter, came. 
Rochambeau and La Fayette 
Round thy plenteous board have met, 
With Columbia's mightier son. 
Great and glorious WASHiNGToy. 
Here, with kindred minds, they plann'd 
Rescue for an infant land ; 
While the British lion's roar 
Echo'd round the leagur'd shore." 

Let me add, in my own plain prose, that General Washington was 
enjoying the hospitality of this house, with Count de Rochambeau, 
at the time Arnold was perpetrating treason at W T est Point, and 



358 J E R E II I A II W ADS W C R T II . 




returned to take a hasty breakfast at the traitor's table, an hour after 
he had fled from it, and immediately before the discovery of his 
guilt. 

In July, 1783, after the cessation of hostilities and a few weeks 
before the treaty of peace was signed, Colonel Wadsworth embarked 
for France, for the purpose of rendering an account of his adminis- 
tration to the proper officers of the French government, and obtain- 
ing a final settlement with them. He arrived in France in August, 
after a passage of twenty-seven days. So correctly had his accounts 
been kept, and so satisfactory had his official conduct been, that a 
settlement was effected without difficulty ; and the large balance in 
his favor was honorably paid. In the latter part of March, 1784, 
he left France, and passed over to England, where he remained until 
some time in July following. Thence he went to Ireland, where he 
spent about six weeks ; and then returned to America. He arrived 
in Delaware Bay, after a passage of fifty-six days. 

A considerable part of the funds he received from the French 
government he invested in French, English and Irish goods, w r hich 
he brought home and sold in Hartford and Philadelphia. This, with 
the care and management of his other property, afforded him suffi- 
cient employment in the way of business, without trenching upon his 
social and domestic enjoyments. 

During this period, he caused some improvements in the agricul- 
ture of his neighborhood, by successful experiments on his own land. 
He also introduced into the state breeds both of horses and horned 
cattle, superior to those which had been previously raised here. 



WADSWORTH A MEMBER OF CONGRESS. 359 

When the constitution of the United States was referred to the 
people of the several states for their consideration, he was elected a 
member of the convention of this state from his native town, and 
not only took a deep interest in its proceedings, but largely shared 
its labors and responsibilities. Though his education and habits had 
not especially fitted him for public debate, yet his natural good sense 
surmounted every difficulty of this sort, and he became an efficient 
advocate of the constitution. After its adoption, he was elected a 
member of the first Congress, with such men as Roger Sherman, 
Jonathan Trumbull and others, for his colleagues. He was re-elected 
to the second Congress, and afterwards to the third. After serving 
his state and country, in this capacity, for six years, he resigned his 
seat, or declined a further election. In May, 1795, the next session 
of the general assembly of this state after the expiration of the third 
Congress, he was chosen a representative of his native town in the 
popular branch, and was, at the same time, elected by the freemen 
of the state an assistant, or member of the council. He took his seat 
in the latter body, and was annually re-elected to that station until 
1801, when, at his own request, he was omitted. He died on the 
30th of April, 1804, leaving a widow and two children — a son and 
a daughter. 

I have not time, if I had the requisite materials and qualifications, 
for a full delineation of his character. It may be sufficient for the 
present occasion to mention a few characteristic qualities, which 
those who knew him best love to cherish in their memories. To a 
sunny cheerfulness of temper he united very vivid recollections of 
past events, combining important historical truths with pleasant anec- 
dotes ; and these he related so well as to entertain and delight his 
hearers. He was a most firm friend ; and to those whom he loved 
his generosity was unbounded, whilst his firmness and integrity kept 
at bay the inquisitive and the intriguing. He gave encouragement 
to industrious people by advice, and when their necessities required 
it, by pecuniary assistance. No man, since the days of Job, could 
with more truthfulness appropriate his declaration—" I was a father 
to the poor; and the cause which I knew not I searched out." 
Colonel Humphreys, than whom few had better opportunities of 
knowing him, says — " He was always the protector and the guardian 
of the widow, the fatherless and the distressed." In relation to his 
public character, the same distinguished witness testifies as follows : 
" No man in this country was ever better acquainted with its re- 
sources, or the best mode of drawing them forth for the public use. 
His talents for and dispatch of business, was unrivalled. His services, 
at some periods of the war, were incalculable." 



360 



JEREMIAH WADS WORTH. 



M. De Warville, a respectable French gentleman, who travelled 
in this country in 1788, thus speaks of him : " Hartford is the resi- 
dence of one of the most respectable men in the United States — 
Colonel Wadsworth. He enjoys a considerable fortune, which he 
owes entirely to his own labor and industry. Perfectly versed in 
commerce and agriculture ; universally known for the service he 
rendered the American and French armies during the war ; gene- 
rally esteemed and beloved for his great virtues, he crowns all his 
qualities by an amiable and singular modesty. His address is frank, 
his countenance open, and his discourse simple. Thus you cannot 
fail to love him as soon as you see him." 

I will conclude this imperfect sketch by adopting the general 
summary, which appeared in one of the public prints of this city, 
immediately after his decease : " In all the public and private rela- 
tions of life, he was esteemed and respected. By his death, his 
family have lost a tender, affectionate and beloved relative ; the 
poor a kind and beneficent father ; the town its greatest benefactor, 
and the country one of its firmest friends and most able and faithful 
patriots." 





Monument of General Mercer, at Laurel Hill Cemetery. 



BRIGADIER GENERAL HUGH MERCER. 





?E are indebted for the facts 
contained in the following 
notice, to the address of 
William B. Reed, Esq., de- 
livered on the occasion of 
the re-interment of General Mercer's 
remains, at Laurel Hill, in 1840. 

Hugh Mercer was born near Aber- 
deen, in Scotland, about the year 1723 ; 
emigrated to America in the year 1747, 
in consequence of his participation in 
the rebellion of the Scotch in favor of the Pretender, Charles Edward, 
in the two preceding years. To enter the service of that unfortunate 
prince he had quitted his occupation as a physician ; encountering 
the dread penalties of treason, to aid the rebel cause by his example, 
and its sick and wounded supporters by his surgical skill. In the 
unfortunate battle of Culloden, the cause of Charles Edward was 

361 



362 



HUGH MERCER. 



lost ; he himself, became a wanderer, and exile offered the only safety 
to his faithful followers. 

Among these, none was more worthy or more devoted than Hugh 
Mercer, who buried himself, the memory of his sin, in the western 
frontier of Pennsylvania, near where now stands the town of Mer- 
cersburg, in Franklin county. 

His history presents a complete blank from this time until the 
breaking out of the French and Indian wa in 1755, when we find 
him engaged as a captain in a provincial force of three hundred men, 
led by Colonel John Armstrong. This body of troops, organized 
and equipped by the legislature of Pennsylvania, marched in 1756, 
from Fort Shirley to the Alleghany river, through a hostile country, 
and reached the Indian town of Kittaning, within twenty-five miles 
of the French garrison at Fort Du Quesne, without making their 
advance known to the enemy. The town was immediately assaulted, 
and after a short and bloody conflict carried by storm, and totally 
destroyed. The principal Indian chiefs were killed in the battle ; 
the provincial officers of rank were nearly all wounded. " Captain 
Mercer's company," says the covenanter-like report of Colonel Arm- 
strong — " himself and one man wounded — seven killed — himself and 
ensign are missing." It was even so. He had been severely wounded 
in the engagement, and carried to the rear, and was accidentally left 
behind by the little army when it set out on its return. On the night 
after the battle, he found himself deserted and wounded, obliged'to 
make his way alone to the settlements, with death by a hundred 
chances ; — by his wound, by wild beasts, by the hands of his more 
wild enemies, and by starvation — all before him. But his spirit sunk 
not at the prospect. After reposing a few hours upon the battle-field, 
he set out upon his fearful pilgrimage. For weeks he wandered 
through the forest, depending for sustenance upon its roots and 
berries, and finally, when his strength seemed completely exhausted, 
he reached Fort Cumberland. 

RE AT must have been the suffer- 
ings of Mercer on this occasion, 




(fi 



as we learn by the narrative of 



* V\ ]f{ one who was acquainted wit! 



facts, that he actually killed a 
rattle-snake and subsisted entirely on its 
flesh during several days previous to his 
arrival at Fort Cumberland. 

In the capacity of a lieutenant-colonel, he 
accompanied the army of General Forbes, 
and was left by him in charge of Fort Du Quesne after its reduction. 



BATTLES OF TRENTON AND PRINCETON. 365 

It was on this expedition that he first became acquainted with the 
Virginia Colonel, George Washington. The nature of the trust 
confided to Colonel Mercer at this time, may be learnt from a letter 
written by Washington to Governor Fauquier, in December, 1751. 
" The general," says he, " has in his letters, told you what garrison 
he proposed to leave at Fort Du Quesne, but the want of provisions 
rendered it impossible to leave more than two hundred men in all ; 
and these must, I fear, abandon the place or perish. Our men left 
there are in such a miserable condition, having hardly rags to cover 
their nakedness, and exposed to the inclemency of the weather in 
this rigorous season, that sickness, death, and desertion, if they are 
not speedily supplied, must destroy them." Colonel Mercer, how- 
ever, kept the garrison together, and maintained the post until it was 
relieved, when he retired from the service, and resumed the practice 
of his profession in Fredericksburg, in Virginia. 

Foremost among the citizens of Virginia to enrol his name on the 
list of those who were ready to raise the standard of freedom, Colonel 
Mercer drew upon himself the public attention, and in June, 1776, 
he was presented by Congress with a commission as a brigadier- 
general, most probably at the instance of General Washington him- 
self. General Mercer accepted the appointment, left his home, his 
wife and children, as it proved, forever, and joined the army at New 
York. During the eventful campaign of 1776, and the retreat 
through the Jerseys, General Mercer was in the most active service 
under the immediate orders of General Washington. And when, 
in the words of Washington himself, the game seemed nearly up, he 
shared the confidence and firmness of the commander-in-chief, and 
concerted with him and Generals Greene and Reed the change in 
the policy of the war, which first manifested itself in the no less 
desperate than successful attack upon the Hessians at Trenton. 

On the night of the second of January, 177.7, when the two hostile 
armies lay at Trenton, expecting a battle in the morning, a council 
of war was assembled to consider the alternative of a battle with an 
overwhelming force, burning to revenge the Hessians, or an impracti- 
cable dispiriting retreat. At that council, General Mercer proposed 
to boldly abandon the field, and march upon Princeton and the maga- 
zines at Brunswick. It seemed again the counsel of despair, but it 
was supported by the voice of reason and brave determination, and 
it was adopted without dissent. The officers hastened to the head 
of their troops, and the daring plan was successfully executed 
before the dawn of day. The tired soldiers of Britain slept soundly 
in their tents, in anticipation of an easy victory on the morrow, while 
their well disciplined sentinels listened in the still, cold night for any 



366 



HUGH MEKCER. 



evidence of retreat on the part of the Americans. They could not 
be deceived. There were the American fires ; the American senti- 
nels plainly seen by their light, marching steadily to and fro, and all 
the night long American soldiers worked noisily in their intrench- 
ments. At daybreak, the sound of cannon announced that Washington 
was at Princeton. General Mercer led the van in the night march. At 
the dawn of day, a large body of British troops was discovered on the 
march to Trenton, and Mercer boldly threw his brigade between them 
and their reserve at Princeton, to force on a general action. Colonel 
Hazlet, however, fell, mortally wounded, by the first fire, and his 
troops were thrown into momentary disorder, while General Mer- 
cer's horse was killed, and he was left alone and dismounted upon 
the field. Single-handed, he encountered a detachment of the enemy. 
He was beaten to the earth with the butt ends of their muskets, 
and savagely and mortally stabbed with their bayonets. General 
Washington then restored the battle, and won the victory by his 
personal exposure and daring gallantry, and when the brief struggle 
was ended, General Mercer was found upon the field, bleeding and 
insensible, by his aid, Major Armstrong, the son of the colonel under 
whom Mercer had served at Kittaning. He was carried to a neighbor- 
ing farm house, where he lingered in extreme suffering until the 12th 
of January, when he expired in the arms of Major Lewis, the nephew 
of Washington. His body was brought to Philadelphia on the 14th 
of January, and buried in Christ Church graveyard ; whence it was 
taken, on the 26th of November, 1840, and reinterred with appro- 
priate ceremonies at Laurel Hill cemetery, Philadelphia. 




The house where General MexceT died. 






MAJOR GENERAL THOMAS MIFFLIN. 

HOMAS MIFFLIN, born in 
Philadelphia, in 1744, was a 
descendant of one of the first 
settlers of Pennsylvania. He 
passed through the usual col- 
legiate course with honor, and was then 
placed in the counting-house of William 
Coleman, of whom Dr. Franklin has 
said that he possessed " the coolest, 
clearest head, the best heart, and the 
exactest morals of almost any man he 
ever met with." At the age of twenty-one, Thomas Mifflin made a 
voyage to Europe, and visited several parts of it with a view to his 
own improvement. On his return, he entered into business with one 
of his brothers, and his talents and manners soon made him a favor- 
ite with his fellow-citizens. In 1772, when he was only twenty- 
eight years old, he was chosen as one of the two burgesses who 

367 



368 



THOMAS MIFFLIN. 



represented the city of Philadelphia in the provincial legislature, 
and he gave so much satisfaction to his constituents by his course as 
to be re-elected in the following year, Benjamin Franklin being at 
this time chosen as his colleague. In 1774, he was appointed by 
the legislature a delegate to the first Congress, in which, as its pro- 
ceedings were kept secret, we can only infer the activity of Mifflin 
by the frequency with which his name appears upon its committees. 
A town meeting was called in Philadelphia upon receipt of the 
news of the battle of Lexington, to which Mr. Mifflin delivered a 
very animated address. He urged upon his fellow-citizens a steady 
adherence to the resolutions that were adopted. 

ET us not be bold," he said, " in 
declarations, and afterwards cold 
in action. Let not the patriotic 
feelings of to-day be forgotten 
to-morrow, nor have it be said 
of Philadelphia that she passed 
noble resolutions, slept upon 
them, and afterwards neglected 
them." What he thus recom- 
mended to others, he put in 
practice himself. He was ap- 
pointed major of one of the vol- 
unteer regiments that were formed for domestic defence. He panted, 
however, for more active service, and flew to Boston, where the 
poorly-equipped army of America, confined itself to blockading the 
British under General Gage in the town of Boston. A detachment 
of the enemy having been sent to Lechmore's point for the purpose 
of collecting cattle, Mifflin led a party to oppose them, and with 
half-disciplined militia succeeded in driving back the British regu- 
lars. General Craig, who witnessed this achievement, stated that 
he " never saw a greater display of personal bravery, than was ex- 
hibited on this occasion, in the cool and intrepid conduct of Colonel 
Mifflin." 

Shortly after the evacuation of Boston, Mifflin was appointed to 
the rank of brigadier-general, by Congress, at his age one of the 
highest honors. During the whole revolutionary war, however, he 
had scarcely an opportunity of distinguishing himself, being engaged 
upon the necessary and responsible but irksome duty of quarter- 
master-general. At any time, the acceptance of this office by a man 
of an active military spirit is an act of self-denial. To General 
Mifflin it was particularly so, as he had to organize a new depart- 
ment in a disordered and impoverished state of the country, certain 




ELECTED GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA. 369 

that almost every measure either offended the people or disappointed 
the government. This duty General Mifflin found to he the most 
obnoxious to his feelings, and for a time the most prejudicial to his 
character of any that he was called upon to perform. Congress, 
however, entertained so high an opinion of his talents as to place 
his name with those of Washington and Gates, when they directed 
a committee to have a conference touching the frontiers towards 
Canada. 

In November, 1776, General Washington sent him from Newark 
with a confidential letter to Congress, who directed him to remain 
near them, that they might avail themselves of his information and 
judgment. When the American army lay opposite Trenton, fearing 
and expecting dissolution, General Mifflin was directed to proceed 
through the adjacent counties, "to exhort and rouse the militia to 
come forth in defence of their country." A committee of the Penn- 
sylvania legislature accompanied him. He set out immediately, 
assembled the people in every suitable place, and from the pulpit in 
the church, the bench in the court, and in the meeting-house, every 
where his eloquence was exerted with the happiest effect. The cap- 
ture of the Hessians spread a gleam of sunshine over the country 
which aided his efforts, and he was soon enabled to make quite a 
respectable addition to the army in New Jersey. Congress testified 
their sense of his services by conferring on him, in February, 1777, 
the rank of major-general. In the course of this year his health 
became so much impaired by the incessant fatigue of his department 
that, he requested leave to resign, which was not only refused, but 
his duties were increased by being appointed a member of a new 
board of war. Until the close of the Revolution he labored in the 
cause, without so much glory, perhaps, as others, but not less use- 
fully. He retained his hold upon the affections of his fellow citizens, 
and the confidence of the legislature, who appointed him, in 1783, a 
member of Congress. On the 3d of November, in that year, he was 
elevated to the dignified station of president of that body. In this 
capacity he received at Annapolis, from the first of his countrymen, 
the resignation of that commission which had borne him to immortal 
glory, and his country to independence. The scene was highly 
affecting, and the feelings of those who witnessed it were yet more 
excited by the dignified address of the commander-in-chief, and the 
manly and simple eloquence of President Mifflin's reply. 

General Mifflin was afterwards a member of the supreme execu- 
tive council of Pennsylvania, and president of the convention for 
the formation of the state constitution. He was elected the first 
governor under the new constitution, and he held this office nine 

24 



370 



THOMAS MIFFLIN. 



years. It being limited to that extent, he was elected to the state 
legislature a short time before the close of his term, and died while 
attending the sittings of that body, at Lancaster, on the 21st of 
January, 1800, in the fifty-seventh year of his age. 

Almost the only incident of his administration which called for 
unusual conduct was the "whiskey insurrection of 1794," and 
General Mifflin put himself at the head of that portion of the Penn- 
sylvania militia which went on the service, under the orders of 
General Lee, governor of Virginia, who, during the war, had been his 
inferior in rank. In this he exhibited a praiseworthy compliance 
with the constitution of the United States, which, rendering the 
president commander-in-chief, authorized him to assign particular 
services to such officers as he thought proper. 

In view of his whole character, the sincerity of his attachment 
to the cause of his country, and the sacrifice of his whole life to her 
service, may justify us in excusing the single error of his career, his 
connection with the cabal against General Washington. This stain 
upon his memory has led the historians of our country, and biogra- 
phers of her great men, too frequently to pass by in silence his many 
and arduous services, and good feeling displayed by him towards 
General Washington in the subsequent portion of his life. Who has 
not his faults 1 

In concluding this sketch of the life of General Mifflin, we quote 
the words of the celebrated William Rawle: — "Thus ended the che- 
quered career of Thomas Mifflin — brilliant in its outset — troubled 
and perplexed at a period more advanced — again distinguished, pros- 
perous, and happy — finally clouded by poverty, and oppressed by 
creditors. In patriotic principle, never changing — in public action, 
never faltering — in personal friendship, sincerely warm — in relieving 
the distressed, always active and humane — in his own affairs, impro- 
vident — in the business of others, scrupulously just." 




! f 




COLONEL DAVID HUMPHREYS. 

AVID HUMPHREYS was born in the yeai 
1753, in the town of Derby, in the state 
of Connecticut. His father, Daniel Hum 
phreys, who was the pastor of the Presby- 
terian church in that town, sent his son to 
Yale College, where he entered as a fresh- 
man in 1767. He graduated here in 1771, 
having during his stay formed habits of intimacy with 
Trumbull and Dwight, who united with him in exert- 
ing a talent for poetry in behalf of their country and 
her freedom. His active and ambitious character soon 
led him to seek an opportunity of being useful to his country in the 
field, and he entered the revolutionary army at an early period as a 
captain. In October, 1 777, he was a major of brigade under General 
Parsons, at the time of the capture of Fort Montgomery, and he 
there probably formed an acquaintance with General Putnam, which 
led to his becoming an aid to that, officer, in which capacity we find 
him acting in 1778. The honor of possessing the esteem and con- 
fidence of Parsons and Putnam would alone be sufficient proof of his 

371 




372 DAVID HUMPHREYS. 

worth ; but, in addition, he had the singular good fortune to be allied 
on terms of family intercourse with Generals Greene and Washing- 
ton He was appointed aid and military secretary to the commander- 
in-chief in the early part of 1780, after which he constantly resided 
with Washington, in the enjoyment of his confidence and friendship, 
and the participation in his arduous duties, until the close of the war. 

On the surrender of Cornwallis, the captured standards were 
delivered to his charge, and in November, 1781, Congress resolved, 
"that an elegant sword be presented in the name of the United States 
in Congress assembled, to Colonel Humphreys, aid-de-camp of 
General Washington, to whose care the standards taken under the 
capitulation of York were consigned, as a testimony of their opinion 
of his fidelity and ability ; and that the board of war take order 
thereon." This resolution was carried into effect in 1786, and the 
sword presented by General Knox, with a highly complimentary 
letter. Colonel Humphreys attended General Washington to Anna- 
polis, when the commander-in-chief went thither to resign his com- 
mission. 

Colonel Humphreys, in a poem written shortly after the close of 
the war, alludes to his own agency in the struggle, in the following 
graceful lines : — 

" I, too, perhaps, should Heaven prolong my date, 
The oft-repeated tale shall oft relate ; 
Shall tell the feelings in the first alarms, 
Of some bold enterprise the unequalled charms ; 
Shall tell from whom I learnt the martial art, 
With what high chief I played my early part : 
With Parsons first, whose eye, with piercing ken. 
Reads through their hearts the characters of men 
Then how I aided, in the following scene, 
Death daring Putnam, then immortal Greene ; 
Then how great Washington my youth approved, 
In rank preferred, and as a parent loved. 
(For each fine feeling in his bosom blends 
The first of heroes, patriots, sages, friends,) 
With him, what hours on warlike plans I spent 
Beneath the shadow of th' imperial tent. 
With him, how oft I went the nightly round, 
Through moving hosts, or slept on tented ground ; 
From him, how oft, (nor far below the first 
In high behests and confidential trusts,) 
From him, how oft I bore the dread commands, 
Which destined for the fight the eager bands : 
With him, how oft I passed th' eventful day, 
Rode by his side, as down the long array, 
His awful voice the columns taught to form, 
To point the thunder, and to pour the storm." 

In July, 1784. Colonel Humphreys accompanied Thomas Jeffer- 
son in a visit to Europe, in the capacity of secretary to the commission 



CHARACTER OF COLONEL HUMPHREYS. 



373 




for negotiating treaties of commerce with foreign powers. Afterwards, 
in 1787, he was actively employed in the suppression of " Shay's 
rebellion," as it was called. In 1788, while on a visit to Mount 
Vernon, he wrote, among other things, his celebrated " Life of Gene- 
ral Putnam." In 1789, he was employed in diplomatic service at 
home, and in 1790, he was sent to Portugal as minister. In 1797, 
he was transferred from the court of Lisbon to that of Madrid, where 
he continued until the year 1802. While minister to Spain, he super- 
intended the formation of treaties with Algiers and Tripoli. 

fEFORE returning to the United States, he 
purchased a flock of one hundred sheep, of 
the best merino breed, and forwarded them 
to America. Besides this important and 
valuable addition to the manufacturing inter- 
ests of the country, he introduced several 
Arabian horses and good varieties of English 
cattle. In testimonial of his labors in this 
useful field, the trustees of the Massachusetts 
Society for Promoting Agriculture, transmitted to him, in December, 
1802, a gold medal. 

From 1802 to 1812, Colonel Humphreys lived in private. At 
that time, he became a representative to the state legislature from 
the town of Derby, and bore an active part in organizing the state 
troops for purposes of local defence. In 1812, he took command 
of a corps of state troops composed of volunteers, exempt by law r 
from military duty, of which he was created the special commander, 
with the rank of brigadier-general. His public services terminated 
with the limitation of that appointment. 

Colonel Humphreys received while in active life the honorary 
degree of Doctor of Laws from three American colleges, and was 
associated, as a member, with many literary institutions in Europe 
and America. The last years of his life were spent in New Haven 
and Boston, and were chiefly occupied with concerns of a private 
nature. He died of an organic disease of the heart, at New Haven, 
on the 21st of February, 1818, aged sixty-five years. His remains 
were interred in the burial ground of that city, and a lofty and 
durable, granite monument has been erected over them. 

His biography in the National Portrait Gallery, upon which we 
have relied for the facts contained in the foregoing sketch of his life, 
furnishes the following personal description of him. " Colonel Hum- 
phreys was, in personal form, of lofty stature and commanding 
appearance ; and, whatever peculiarities may have blended with his 
manners and address, impressed those who viewed him even as 



374 



DAVID HUMPHREYS. 



strangers, with the conviction that he possessed high intellectual as 
well as physical powers. His early reputation as a scholar ; his 
indulgence in poetic enthusiasm, fostered by youthful associates of 
kindred feelings ; the countenance and support of the ablest officers 
of the Revolution ; his free admission to councils on which an em- 
pire's fate depended ; and finally, his long residence at European 
courts, were well adapted to affect the mind of a young man with 
sentiments of self-esteem that gave to his manners the appearance, 
perhaps, of vanity and ostentation. He was fond of dress and 
equipage ; and although his sentiments and public conduct were such 
as to prove his devoted attachment to republicanism, yet, like John 
Hancock, he was not insensible to the brilliancy of courtly style. 
His fondness for display, (since it must be acknowledged as a trait 
in his character,) is redeemed by the consideration that he made, on 
all occasions, his personal gratifications secondary and obedient to 
public duty. 





COLONEL JOHN TRUMBULL. 




OLONEL TRUMBULL was 
born at Lebanon, on the 6th 
of June, 1756. His father, 
Joseph Trumbull, was at a 
very early age placed at Har- 
vard College, where he became a dis- 
tinguished scholar, acquiring a sound 
knowledge of the Hebrew, Latin and 
Greek languages. He graduated with 
honor in 1727. He died in 1785, 
^ having been governor of the state of 
Connecticut by annual election, during the entire war of the Revo- 
lution, and was the only person who, being first magistrate of a 
colony in America, before the separation from Great Britain, retained 
the confidence of his countrymen through the Revolution, and was 
annually re-elected governor to the end of that eventful period. 
The mother of Colonel Trumbull was the great grand-daughter of 

375 




376 JOHN TRUMBULL- 

John Robinson, the father of the pilgrims, who led our Puritan an 
cestors out of England in the reign of James -VI. and resided with 
them some years at Leyden in Holland, and in 1620 emigrated with 
them to Plymouth in Massachusetts, where, among other acts of 
wisdom and piety, was laid the foundation of that system of educa- 
tion in town schools, which has of later years become so widely 
extended in the United States, forming the glory and defence of the 
country. 

Colonel Trumbull, immediately after his birth, was attacked by 
convulsion fits, which recurred daily, and increased in violence and 
frequency till he was nearly nine months old, — the cause was hidden 
from the medical men of the vicinity, — when one. of his father's 
early friends, Dr. Terry of Suffield, an eminent physician, called 
accidentally to make him a passing visit, and was requested to look 
at the unhappy child. He immediately pronounced the disease to be 
caused by compression of the brain ; the bones of the skull, instead 
of uniting in the several sutures, and forming a smooth surface, had 
slipped over each other, forming sensible ridges on the head, by 
which means the brain not having room to expand, convulsions fol- 
lowed. He said that medicine was useless, and that nothing but the 
untiring care of the mother could effect the cure ; and this could be 
done only by applying her hands to the head of the child daily, and 
gently and carefully drawing the bones apart. If relief was not ob- 
tained by this means the child would die early, or should it live, 
would become an idiot. 

The instructions of Dr. Terry were followed by the mother of 
Trumbull with unremitted care ; by degrees favorable symptoms 
appeared, the convulsions became less and less frequent, until, at 
about three years old, the natural form of the head was restored, 
and they ceased entirely. 

Lebanon was long celebrated for having the best school in New 
England. It was kept by Nathan Tisdale, a native of the place, from 
the time he graduated at Harvard College to the day of his death, a 
period of thirty years, with an assiduity and fidelity of the most 
exalted character, and became so widely known that he had scholars 
from the West India Islands, Georgia, North and South Carolina, as 
well as from the New England and northern colonies. 

With this excellent scholar John Trumbull was placed at. a very 
early age ; his early sufferings and his subsequent docility soon made 
him a favorite. 

John's mind, which had so long been repressed by disease, seemed 
to spring forward with increased energy as soon as the pressure upon 
the brain was removed. He early displayed a singular facility in 



trumbull's early life. 377 

acquiring knowledge, particularly of languages, so that at the age of 
six years he could read Greek with perfect ease. At this early age 
he had a contest with the late Rev. Joseph Leyman, pastor of Hat- 
field, in Massachusetts, a boy several years his senior. They read 
the first five verses of the Gospel of St. John ; Leyman missed one 
word, John not any, and therefore gained the victory. His know- 
ledge of the Greek language at this early age was very imperfect, 
but he knew the forms of the letters, the words, and their sounds, 
and could read them accurately. His taste for drawing began to 
dawn early ; but this was not the result of natural genius, but is 
traced by himself to mere imitation. His sister, Faith, had acquired 
some knowledge of drawing, and had even painted in oil two heads 
and a landscape. These were hung in his mother's parlor, and were 
among the first objects that struck his infant eye. He endeavored 
to imitate them, and for several years the nicely sanded floors, (for 
carpets were at that time unknown in Lebanon,) were constantly 
scrawled with his rude attempts at drawing. 

When John was five years old, an accident of a serious nature be- 
fel him. He, in playing with his sisters, fell headlong down a flight 
of stairs, and was taken up insensible ; the forehead over the left eye 
was severely bruised. He however soon recovered, but with the loss 
of sight of his left eye, the optic nerve of which must have been 
severely injured in the fall. 

When he was ten years of age, a circumstance occurred which 
deserves to be written upon adamant. In the wars of New England 
with the aborigines, the Mohegan tribe of Indians early became the 
friends of the English. The government of this tribe had become 
hereditary in the family of the celebrated chief Uncas. During the 
time of the mercantile, prosperity of John's father, he had employed 
several Indians of this tribe in hunting animals, whose skins were 
valuable for their fur. Among these hunters was one named Zachary, 
of the royal race, an excellent hunter, but as 'drunken and worthless 
an Indian as ever lived. When he had passed the age of fifty, several 
members of the royal family who stood between Zachary and the 
throne of his tribe, died, and he found himself with only one life 
between him and empire. In this moment his better genius resumed 
its sway, and he reflected seriously, "How can such a drunken 
wretch as I am, aspire to be the chief of this honorable race — what 
will my people say — and how will the shades of my noble accestors 
look down indignant upon such a base successor? Can I succeed 
the great Uncas ? I will drink no more !" This resolution was never 
broken. 

John had heard this story, but did not entirely believe it, for, young 



378 



JOHN TRUMBULL 



The Indian Chief Zachary. 

as he then was, he already partook in the prevailing contempt for 
Indians. In the beginning of May, the annual election of the prin- 
cipal officers of the (then) colony was held at Hartford, the capital. 
Mr. Joseph Trumbull attended in an official capacity, and it was 
customary for the chief of the Mohegans also to attend. Zachary 
had succeeded to the rule of his tribe, and the old chief was in the 
habit of coming a few days before the election, and dining with his 
brother governor. While seated at dinner one day, John conceived 
the mischievous thought of trying the sincerity of the old man's 
temperance, and thus addressed him: — " Zachary, this beer is excel- 
lent ; will you taste it ?" The old man dropped his knife and fork, 
and his black eyes sparkled with indignation. " John," said he, 
"you do not know what you are doing. You are serving the devil, 
boy ! Do you not know that I am an Indian ? I tell you that I am, 
and that, if I should but taste your beer, I could never stop till I got 
to rum, and become again the drunken, contemptible wretch your 
father remembers me to have been. John, tvhile you live, never 
again tempt any mayi to break a good resolution.' 1 '' John's parents 
frequently reminded him of this scene, and charged him never to 
forget it. Zachary lived to pass the age of eighty, and sacredly kept 
his resolution. 

About this time the mercantile failure of John's father took place ; 
in one season nearly all his vessels and all the property he had upon 
the ocean were swept away, and he was a poor man at so late a 
period of life, as left no hope of retrieving his affairs. The want of 
pocket money now prevented John from mingling much with his 



TRUMBULL AT COLLEGE. 



379 




young companions, and he gradually acquired a solitary habit, and 
after school hours withdrew to his own room to a close study of his 
favorite pursuit, drawing. 

T the age of twelve years, John 
had advanced so rapidly in his 
studies, that he might have been 
admitted to enter college ; he 
was thoroughly versed in the 
Latin and Greek languages, and 
in geography, both ancient and 
modern. He had also read with 
care, Rollin's and Crevier's his- 
tories. In arithmetic alone, he 
met with difficulties. He be- 
came puzzled by a sum in divi- 
sion, where the divisor consisted 
of three figures. At length, how- 
ever, the question was solved, 
and he went rapidly through the lower and higher branches of mathe- 
matics, so that when he had reached the age of fifteen and a half 
years, it was stated by his master, that he was fully qualified to enter 
Harvard College in the middle of the third or junior year. This was 
approved of by his father, and proposed to him. In the mean time, 
his fondness for drawing and painting had grown with his growth, 
and when his father informed him of his intention to place him at 
college, he ventured to remonstrate with him, and desired that he 
might be placed under the instruction of Mr. Copley, an eminent 
artist of Boston, father of Lord Lyndhurst, the late lord chancellor 
of England ; by this means he would possess a profession, and the 
means of supporting himself — perhaps of assisting the family. He 
was, however, overruled by his father, and in January, 1772, was 
sent to Cambridge, passed the examination in form, and was readily 
admitted to the junior class, who were then in the middle of the 
third year, so that he had but one year and a half to remain in col- 
lege. During his stay at college he became acquainted with a French 
family residing at Cambridge. This family, besides the parents, com- 
prised several children of both sexes ; in their society Trumbull 
made good progress, and there laid the foundation of a knowledge of 
the French language, which in his after life was of eminent utility. 

Several paintings were executed by him during his stay in college, 
one of which received so much approbation from the professors and 
students of the college, that he ventured to show it to Mr. Copley, 
and had the pleasure to hear it commended by him also. In July, 



380 



JOHN TRUMBULL. 




1773, he was graduated with honor, and returned to Lebanon. In 
the autumn of this year, 1773, Nathan Tisdale, his former master, 
had a stroke of paralysis which disabled him entirely from performing 
his duties. Trumbull, with the approbation of his father, took charge 
of the school until the following spring, when Mr. Tisdale had so far 
recovered as to be able to resume his invaluable labors. 

N the summer of 1774, the angry discussions 
between Great Britain and her colonies began 
to assume a very serious tone. 

Trumbull soon caught the growing enthu- 
siasm ; his father was now governor of the 
colony and a patriot. 

John Trumbull sought now for military in- 
formation, acquired what knowledge he could, 
and soon formed a company from among the young men of the school 
and the village, who taught each other to use the musket and to 
march ; in fact, military exercises and studies became the favorite 
occupation of the day. 

In the latter part of April, 1775, Trumbull entered the army as 
adjutant of the first Connecticut regiment, which was stationed at 
Roxbury, near Boston. From this place he had a distant view of the 
battle of Bunker Hill. 

Soon after this battle, General Washington arrived and took com- 
mand of the army. On his arrival, Trumbull was informed that the 
commander-in-chief was desirous of obtaining a correct plan of the 
enemy's works in front of the Americans' position on Boston Neck. 

This plan was drawn by Trumbull, and shown to Washington, 
who was so well pleased with it, that he appointed Trumbull his 
second aid-de-camp. Trumbull now found himself in the family of 
one of the most distinguished and dignified men of his age, surrounded 
at his table by the principal officers of the army, and in constant 
intercourse with them — it was also his duty to receive company, and 
do the honors of the house to many of the first people of the country, 
of both sexes. To this duty Trumbull found himself unequal, and 
was gratified when he received the appointment of major of brigade 
at Roxbury. In this situation he soon attracted the attention of 
Gates, and became in some degree a favorite with him. 

In June, 1776, Gates having been appointed to the command of 
the northern department, which was then understood to be Canada 
and the northern frontier, appointed Trumbull as one of his adjutants, 
with the rank of colonel. 

Colonel Trumbull proceeded with General Gates to Crown Point. 
His first duty on his arrival at this place was to procure a return of 



TRUMBULL LEAVES THE ARMY. 381 

the number and condition of the troops. He found the whole of offi- 
cers and men to be five thousand two hundred, and the sick that 
required the attentions of an hospital were two thousand eight hun- 
dred; so that when they were sent off, with the number of men 
necessary to row them to the hospital, which had been established at 
the south end of Lake George, a distance of fifty miles, there would 
remain at Crown Point but the shadow of an army. This post was 
therefore abandoned, and the army fell back to Ticonderoga. 

While the army remained at this latter post, Colonel Trumbull 
assisted in completing its defences, and drew several plans of the 
same, for the American generals ; he also advised a new plan of 
defence, as the present, he said, was impracticable with an army of 
less than ten thousand men. His plan, although a correct one, was 
however rejected. 

OLONEL TRUMBULL remained with the 
northern division of the army till the latter 
part of November, at which time the greater 
part of the troops under General Gates pro- 
ceeded to Albany, and from thence to Newtown 
to join the forces under Genera] Washington, 
where they arrived a few days before his glori- 
ous victory at Trenton. 
General Arnold and Colonel Trumbull were ordered to join the 
forces under General Spencer, at Providence. While at this post a 
slight misunderstanding occurred with respect to the date of the com- 
mission of Colonel Trumbull as adjutant-general, which caused him 
to resign. 

Immediately after his resignation he returned to Lebanon, resumed 
his pencil, and after some time went to Boston, where he thought he 
could pursue his studies to more advantage. There he hired the 
painting room built by Mr. Smibert, the patriarch of painting in 
America, and found in it several copies by him from celebrated pic- 
tures in Europe. These copies were very useful to him, as there 
remained in Boston no artist capable of giving him instruction, Mr. 
Copley having gone to Europe. 

At this period a club was formed in Boston of young men fresh 
from College. This club met in Colonel Trumbull's rooms, regaled 
themselves with a cup of tea instead of wine, and discussed subjects 
of literature, politics, and war. Among its members were Rufus 
King, Christopher Gore, William Eustis, Thomas Dawes, and other 
men who in afterlife became distinguished. 

The war was a period little favorable to regular study and delibe- 
rate pursuits ; Trumbull's habits were often desultory. A deep and 




I JOHN TRUMBULL. 

settled regret of the military career from which he had been driven, 
and to which there appeared to be no possibility of an honorable re- 
turn, preyed upon his spirits ; and the sound of a drum would not 
unfrequently call from his eye an involuntary tear. 

In the year 1778, a plan was formed for the recovery of Rhode 
Island from the hands of the English, by the co-operation of the 
French fleet under the command of Count D'Estaing, and a body of 
American troops, under the command of General Sullivan. Colonel 
Trumbull seized this occasion to gratify his love of a military life, 
and offered his services to General Sullivan, as a volunteer aid-de- 
camp. His offer was accepted, and 'he attended him during the 
enterprise ; after which he returned to Boston and again resumed his 
pencil, pursuing the study of painting with great assiduity during the 
following year. His friends, however, were dissatisfied with his 
pursuit, and at length persuaded him to undertake the management 
of a considerable speculation, which required a voyage to Europe, 
and which (on paper) promised great results. They were to furnish 
funds, he to execute the plan and share with them the expected 
profits. 

Colonel Trumbull, during his residence in Boston, became ac- 
quainted with Mr. Temple, afterwards Sir John, and consul general 
of Great Britain in New York. This gentleman was acquainted 
with Mr. West, in London, and strongly urged Trumbull to go there 
and study with him. Connected as Colonel Trumbull was, and hos- 
tile as his conduct had been, he did not believe this could be done 
with safety during the war ; but Mr. Temple was confident, that 
through the influence of his friends in London, permission could be 
obtained from the British government. Mr. Temple shortly after 
went to London, and before Colonel Trumbull was ready to embark 
on his commercial pursuit, he received information from him, " that 
if he chose to visit London for the purpose of studying the fine arts, 
no notice would be taken of his past life — that so long as he avoided 
all political intervention, and pursued the study of the arts with 
assiduity, he might rely upon being unmolested." 

Thus Colonel Trumbull found, that in the event of the failure of 
his mercantile project, the road was open for pursuing his study of 
the arts, with increased advantages. 

The number of his drawings and pictures executed before his first 
voyage to Europe, and before he had received any instruction other 
than was to be obtained from books, was sixty-eight. 

Colonel Trumbull embarked at New London about the middle of 
May, 1780, on board the French ship, La Negresse, of twenty-eight 
guns, bound to Nantes. 



VOYAGE TO FRANCE. 



383 




Trumbull's Voyage to France. 



The passage was a pleasant one ; they met neither enemy nor ac 
cident, and in about five weeks they approached the coast of France. 

As the ship stood across the bay towards the entrance of the Loire, 
and approached the land, Colonel Trumbull was very much struck 
with the total dissimilitude to the shores of America ; there, all was 
new, here everything bore marks of age ; the coast was lofty, the 
very rocks looked old ; and the first distinct object, was a large con- 
vent, whose heavy walls seemed gray with age, and were surrounded 
by a noble grove of chestnut trees, apparently coeval with the building. 

On entering the city of Nantes, everything was new, — a new style 
of architecture — a sea-port of great bustle and activity — and a people 
whose appearance, manners, and language, were entirely strange. 
Colonel Trumbull remained but two or three days at Nantes, and 
then set out for Paris, en poste. Shortly after his arrival at Paris, 
he received information that Charleston in South Carolina had been 
taken, and that the British were overrunning the southern states, 
almost without opposition. 

This news was fatal to his commercial project, for his funds con- 






384 



JOHN TRUMBULL. 




Dr. "FrnnVKn 

sisted in public securities of Congress, the value of which was anni- 
hilated by adversity. He therefore remained but a short time in 
Paris, where he knew few except Dr. Franklin, and his son Temple 
Franklin ; John Adams, and his son John Q., then a boy at school, of 
lourteen ; and Mr. Strange, the eminent engraver, and his lady. 

Having obtained a letter of introduction to Mr. West, from Dr. 
Franklin, Trumbull set off for London. Immediately after his arrival, 
he gave Mr. Temple notice of it ; and through him the secretary of 
state received information of Trumbull's residence. 

Colonel Trumbull presented the letter of Dr. Franklin, to Mr. West, 
and was of course most kindly received. He remained with Mr. 
West until the 15th of November, 1780, when news arrived in Lon- 
don of the treason of General Arnold, and the death of Major Andre. 
A warrant was immediately issued for Trumbull's arrest, which was 
put in execution, and he was confined in Tothill-fields, Bridewell, 
where, although safely guarded, he was treated with marked civility 
and respect. 

The moment Mr. West heard of the arrest of Colonel Trumbull, 
he hurried to Buckingham House, asked an audience of the king, and 
was admitted. He stated to the king, in what manner Trumbull had 
been employed during his residence in London, and requested that 
he might be released. This request, however, the king refused, urging 



TRUMBULL IMPRISONED. 



385 




that he was in the hands of the law, and must abide the result ; but 
he pledged his royal promise that in the worst possible event of the 
law, his life should be safe. 

Colonel Trumbull remained in prison till June, 1781, when he was 
released by an order from the king, on condition that he would leave 
the kingdom in thirty days, (and not return till after peace was 
restored.) He remained in London some days after his release, and 
then determined to return to America by the shortest route, Amster- 
dam. He embarked for America in the early part of August, on 
board the frigate South Carolina, at Amsterdam ; but unfortunately 
a heavy gale sprang up, and the vessel was obliged to steer for the 
port of Corunna in Spain, where Trumbull remained till December, 
when he embarked on board the Cicero for America, where he arrived 
early in January. Shortly after his return to America he was seized 
with a dangerous illness which confined him to his bed for several 
months. As soon as he had recovered sufficient strength, he engaged 
• in a contract with his brother, for the supply of the army. This 
duty brought him into frequent intercourse with his early friend, 
General Washington, by whom he was kindly received. 

As soon as he received the news of the signing of the preliminaries 
of peace, he determined to return to London to resume his study of 

25 



386 



JOHN TRUMBULL. 



the arts, and accordingly, closing all other husiness he embarked in 
December, 1783, at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for London. 

He arrived in London, 1784, and presented himself immediately 
to Mr. West, who received him most cordially. His studies with Mr. 
West, and at the academy, were resumed with ardor. In the summer 
of 1785, he began to meditate seriously the subjects of national 
history — the events of the Revolution, which were afterwards 
the great objects of his professional life. The death of General 
Warren at the battle of Bunker Hill, and of General Montgomery at 
the attack on Quebec, were first decided upon as being the earliest 
important events, in point of time ; and Colonel Trumbull not only 
regarded them as highly interesting passages of history, but felt, that 
in painting them, he would be paying a just tribute of gratitude to the 
memory of eminent men, who had given their lives for their countrv. 

Mr. West witnessed the progress of these two pictures with in- 
terest, and strongly encouraged Colonel Trumbull to persevere in 
the w T ork of the history of the American Revolution, which he had 
thus commenced. 

About this time Trumbull became acquainted with Mr. Jefferson, 
then minister of the United States in Paris, whom political duties 
had called to London. He encouraged Trumbull to persevere in 
his pursuit, and kindly invited him to come to Paris, and, during his 
stay, to make his house his home. Trumbull's two paintings met 
his warm approbation. 

Mr. Jefferson's kind invitation was received by Colonel Trumbull 
with pleasure, and during his stay at Paris he commenced the com- 
position of the Declaration of Independence, in which he was assisted 
by Mr. Jefferson with information and advice. His paintings above 
mentioned procured him an introduction to all the principal artists 
of France. In September and October, 1786, Colonel Trumbull 
made a tour through Germany, visiting all the works of art, and 
returned to London in November, his brain half turned by the atten- 
tion which had been paid to his paintings in Paris, and by the mul- 
titude of fine things which he had seen. 

He immediately resumed his labors on American subjects, espe- 
cially the Declaration of Independence. He also made various studies 
for the Surrender of Lord Comwallis ; but in this he found consider- 
able difficulty. Some progress was also made in the composition of 
some of the other subjects, especially of the battles of Trenton and 
Princeton. 

In May, 1787, having heard from Mr. Poggi (an eminent Italian 
artist) the story of the Sortie from Gibraltar, he painted it. This 
painting elicited the praise and commendation of all who viewed it 



J 



TRUMBULL RETURNS TO AMEBIC.'.. 



3s? 




Mr. Jefferson. 

It was, in the opinion of the celebrated connoisseur, Horace Walpole, 
afterwards Lord Orford, " the finest picture he had ever seen, painted 
on the northern side of the Alps." 

In the autumn of 1787, Colonel Trumbull again visited Paris, 
where he painted Mr. Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence, 
and the French officers in the Surrender of Lord Cornwallis. He 
again visited Paris in 1789, and witnessed the first outbreaks of the 
French Revolution, and the destruction of the Bastile. During his 
stay in Paris, he had an important conversation with the Marquis 
de la Fayette, which, by the wish of the latter, he reported to the 
President of the United States. 

Soon after this conversation Colonel Trumbull returned to Lon- 
don, and Mr. Jefferson having obtained leave of absence for a few 
months, they both embarked for the United States, in different ships ; 
Trumbull for New York, Jefferson for Norfolk, in Virginia. Colonel 
Trumbull arrived in New York on the 26th of November, 1789. He 
found the government of the United States organized under the new 
constitution, with General Washington as President. Trumbull lost 
no time in communicating to Washington the state of political affairs, 
and the prospects of France as explained to him by M. La Fayette, 
and having done this, he proceeded immediately to visit his family 



•i^s 



JOHN TRUMBULL. 




John Jay. 

aD(l friends in Connecticut. His father died in 1785, at the age of 
seventy-five years. His brother and friend Colonel Wadsworth of 
Hartford, were members of the house of representatives in Con- 
gress ; and with them he returned to New York to pursue his work 
of the Revolution. While in this city he obtained many portraits 
for the Declaration of Independence, Surrender of Lord Cornwallis, 
and of General Washington in the battles of Trenton and Princeton. 
In April, 1790, he opened his subscription list for the engravings 
from his first two pictures of Bunker Hill and Quebec, which had 
been contracted for with Mr. Miiller, of Stutgard, in Germany, and 
Mr. Clements, of Denmark. He obtained the names of the presi- 
dent, vice-president, many of the senators, and of many of the prin- 
cipal citizens of New York. 

In May he went to Philadelphia — but in July was again in New 
York, and painted for the city a full-length portrait of General 
Washington. In February of the following year he was at Charles- 
ton, S. C, for the purpose of obtaining portraits. In the following 
June he returned to Connecticut, and painted the portrait of General 
George Clinton. In 1792 he visited Philadelphia, and painted a 
portrait of General Washington for the city of Charleston, S. C. 

In May, 1794, he embarked with Mr. Jay for Great Britain as his 
private secretary. When his duty of secretary was ended, he pro- 
ceeded to Stutgard to examine the progress of his engraving of 
Bunker Hill. In 1795 he was engaged in a brandy speculation, 
from which, although at first it promised great results, he in the end 



TRUMBULL AGAIN VISITS LONDON. 



389 



gained nothing. In August, 1796, he returned to London, where 
he received from Mr. Pickering, (through Mr. King.) secretary of 
state of the United States, a commission and instructions, appointing 
him an agent for the relief and recovery of American seamen im- 
pressed by Great Britain ; and before he had time to return an 
answer, he received notice from the commissioners, who had been 
appointed by the two nations to carry into execution the seventh 
article of the treaty negotiated by Mr. Jay, that they had appointed 
Him the fifth commissioner. The importance of the latter situation 
left no room for hesitation as to accepting it : the other duty he de- 
clined accepting. His duties as commissioner he faithfully per- 
formed; and when they adjourned to meet on the first of November, 
1797, he took a journey to Stutgard for the purpose of procuring 
the engraving of Bunker Hill, which was then completed. Having 
received his picture and copper-plate from Mr. MfiHer, and obtaine I 
passports to Paris, he set off from Stutgard, and arrived in Paris 
about the middle of October. The duties of his commission required 
his presence in London the first of November. In Paris, however, 
he met with difficulties in consequence of the revolution, which 
prevented his reaching London until the 2d of November. The busi- 
ness of the commission was not concluded till the spring of IS 04. 
As soon as the commission was dissolved, Colonel Trumbull took 
passage on board a vessel bound to New York. The passage was a 
boisterous one, the vessel did not reach New York until the 27th of 
June, having had a passage of sixty-three days. 

RUMBULL now established hinjself in New 
York as a portrait painter, and met with con- 
siderable success. In 1807 he wrote a criti- 
cism, ridiculing President Jefferson's project 
of naval defence by gun-boats. 

In December, 1808, he again embarked 
for London, where he arrived on the 7th of 
January, 1809. He was kindly received by 
Mr. West, and resumed his profession, which 
he continued until the early part of 1810, 
when, finding that his receipts were not equal 
to his expenses, and that he was compelled to borrow, he determined 
to return to America. In this, however, he was disappointed, for 
the declaration of war, in 1812, put an end to all mutual inter- 
course between the two countries. He was, in consequence, detained 
in England till the end of the war, and obliged to run in debt for the 
means of subsistence. 

Peace between the two countries being restored, he, in the latter 




390 



JOHN TRUMBULL, 



part of 1815, returned to America, and resumed the practice of hi3 
profession in New York. In the early part of the following year, 
having been informed that Baltimore had resolved to have pictures 
of the late successful defence, he offered proposals for painting. 
The project was however abandoned, on account of the expense that 
would be incurred. 

Trumbull was now advised to go to Washington, and there offer 
his great, but long suspended project of national paintings of subjects 
from the Revolution. Congress being in session, the visit was made, 
and the result was, that a contract was made for four paintings, at a 
price of eight thousand dollars for each. The paintings were the 
Declaration of Independence, Surrender of Lord Cornwallis, Sur- 
render of General Burgoyne, and the Resignation by General Wash- 
ington of his commission to Congress. 

The last picture was scarcely finished, when he had the misfortune 
to lose his wife, (April, 1824,) who had been the faithful and beloved 
companion of all the vicissitudes of the last twenty-four years. 

His contract with the government being honorably fulfilled, and 
his debts paid, Trumbull found himself, at the age of three score and 
ten years, about to begin the world anew. His best friend, his wife, 
was removed from him, and his having no child to soothe his declining 
years, brought upon him a sense of loneliness. 

His sight, however, was good, his hand steady : " Why, then," said 
he, " shall I sink down into premature imbecility ?" 

He therefore resolved to begin a new series of paintings, of a 
somewhat smaller size than those in the Capitol. While engaged 
in painting one of these he was attacked by the cholera; but in the 
course of a few days it passed away, and without any serious con- 
sequences. 

Colonel Trumbull was still unable to earn a present subsistence, 
being reduced to the necessity, for this purpose, of disposing piece- 
meal of his furniture, plate, &c. From this state of embarrassment 
he was at length relieved, by an arrangement which he made with 
the corporation of Yale College in the month of December, 1831, 
and by which he bestowed upon this institution his unsold paintings, 
in exchange for an annuity of $1000 for the remainder of his life. 
These paintings are deposited for exhibition in the " Trumbull Gal- 
lery," in New Haven : the most remarkable among them are, " The 
battle of Bunker's Hill ;" " The death of General Montgomery at 
Quebec;" "The Declaration of Independence;" "The battle of 
Trenton ;" " The battle of Princeton ;" " The surrender of General 
Burgoyne ;" " Surrender of General Cornwallis ;" " Washington 
resigning his commission ;" " Our Saviour with little children ;" 



DEATH OF COLONEL TRUMBULL. 



391 



" The woman accused of adultery;" "Peter the Great at Narva," 
&c. Colonel Trumbull, during the later years of his life, resided at 
New Haven. His death took place in the city of New York, on the 
10th of November, 1843, in the eighty-eighth year of his age. 

Colonel Trumbull may be considered one of the most interesting 
among the many remarkable characters called into action and 
developed by our revolutionary war. All that we know of him tends 
to raise him in our estimation as a soldier, a gentleman, and an artist. 
When accidentally, as he thought, but providentially as the event 
proved, he was excluded from the army, he deemed it a great mis- 
fortune, but it forced upon him the cultivation of his art, and made 
him the painter of the Revolution. His noble historical paintings 
are the most precious relics of that heroic age, which the nation 
possesses. They are justly prized above all price ; and the latest pos- 
terity will rejoice that Trumbull laid down the sword to take up the 
palette and pencil. 





COLONEL JOHN LANGDON. 



OHN LANGDON was born at Portsmouth, 
New Hampshire, in December, 1739. He 
received an early education at the grammar 
school of his native place, which was then 
taught by the celebrated Major Hale. He 
was afterwards placed apprentice to an emi- 
nent merchant, where he conducted himself 
with such propriety, as to win the approbation 
and confidence of his employer. At the ex- 
piration of his apprenticeship, he went to sea 
as supercargo ; and soon after obtaining a 
vessel of his own, made several voyages to London and the West 
Indies. He finally settled himself as a merchant, in which line of 
business he continued until the commencement of the revolutionary 
war. During the whole dispute with Great Britain, he took a de- 
cided part with the colonists, and was chosen, first a representative 
392 




A DELEGATE TO CONGRESS. 



393 



to the general court, and in the spring of 1775, a delegate to 
Congress. 

After the battle of Lexington, Mr. Langdon, accompanied by John 
Sullivan and Thomas Pickering, raised a company of men and pro- 
ceeded to Fort William and Mary, on Great Island, disarmed the 
garrison, and conveyed the arms and ammunition to a place of safety. 
A number of barrels of gunpowder, which formed part of the booty, 
was subsequently highly useful at Bunker Hill. 

This affair evinced the enterprising spirit of Langdon, and al- 
though small in itself, was of very great importance in inspiring 
courage and enthusiasm throughout his native state. So fully was 
his gallantry appreciated, that when the royal government would have 
arrested and prosecuted him, the inhabitants declared their resolu- 
tion to remain by him at all hazards. 

In 1775, we find Langdon a delegate to the general Congress of 
the colonies, and the following year continental agent for the navy. 
Under his inspection were built a number of ships of war — among 
others, the Raleigh, Ranger, America, [a 74,] Portsmouth, &c. On 
the arrival of the important supplies of warlike stores from France, 
in four large ships, which were accompanied by other vessels, he 
received and disposed of the same by order of Congress. He after- 
wards commanded an independent company with the rank of colonel, 
and especially signalized himself in the frequent alarms of the 
enemy's approach during the winter of 1775-6. He was prevented 
from signing the Declaration of Independence by his duties as navy 
agent ; but when it was publicly proclaimed, he drew up his com- 
pany before the State House, and hailed its annunciation with the 
greatest joy. 

While Burgoyne was rapidly approaching New York, in 1777, 
Colonel Langdon was speaker of the assembly of New Hampshire, 
and when means were wanting to support a regiment, to oppose the 
British general, he gave all his hard money, pledged his plate, and 
applied to the same purpose seventy hogsheads of rum. His speech 
on this occasion is worthy of lasting remembrance. " I have three 
thousand dollars in hard money ; I will pledge my plate for three 
thousand more. I have seventy hogsheads of Tobago rum, which 
shall be sold for the most it will bring — these are at the service of the 
state. If we succeed in defending our firesides and homes, I may be 
remunerated, if we do not, the property will be of no value to me. 
Our old friend Stark, who so nobly maintained the honor of our state 
at Bunker's Hill, may be safely intrusted with the conduct of the 
enterprise, and we will check the progress of Burgoyne." 

This patriotic speech infused zeal into the assembly. A brigade 



394 



JOHN LANGDON. 




was raised with the means thus furnished, which under Brigadier- 
General Stark, achieved the memorable victory of Bennington. 
Colonel Langdon was a volunteer in the army that captured Burgoyne, 
as also in the expedition against Rhode Island, in 1778. He con- 
tinued in the army until the close of the war, performing various 
duties, which gained him the respect and gratitude of his country. 

N 1785, Colonel Langdon was governor 
of New Hampshire, and in 1787, dele- 
gate to the convention that framed the 
federal constitution. Under the con- 
stitution, he was one of the first United 
States senators from New Hampshire, 
when the votes for the first president 
were to be counted, and was appointed 
president pro tempore of that august 
body. His letter to General Washing- 
ton, informing him of the result, is as follows. 

New YonK, 7 
eth April, 1789. > 

Sir, — I have the honor to transmit to your Excellency, the infor- 
mation of your unanimous election to the office of President of the 
United States of America. Suffer me, sir, to indulge the hope, that 
so auspicious a mark of public confidence, will meet your approba- 
tion, and be considered as a pledge of the affection and support you 
are to expect from a free and enlightened people. 

I am, sir, with sentiments of respect, &c, John Langdon. 

Mr. Langdon was still president of the senate at the inauguration 
of Washington and Adams ; and remained a member for twelve 
years. In 1801, President Jefferson, with many of his friends, soli- 
cited him to accept the office of secretary of the navy — but this he 
declined. In 1805, he was elected governor of his state, and again 
in 1810. In the year following he retired from public service, 
repeatedly declining the appointment for the navy, as also the nomi- 
nation for Vice President, in 1812. He died after a short illness, 
September 18th, 1819. 

Governor Langdon was noted for his integrity, patriotism, and 
hospitality. During his whole life, he entertained numerous visitors 
at his own expense, and frequently extended his favors to strangers, 
or foreigners of distinction. He was a zealous professor of religion, 
to the duties of which he gave a considerable share of his attention. 
In the party politics of the Union he acted with Mr. Jefferson and his 
associates ; but was honored and trusted by both sides. The influ- 
ence of his name was great throughout the Union. 




COLONEL AARON BURR. 




0% y^OLONEL AARON BURR, a character 
s§S% fraught with deep and mysterious interest to 
every American, was born on the 6th of Feb- 
ruary, 1756, at Newark, New Jersey. His father 
was President Burr, of Princeton College, and his 
mother, a daughter of the celebrated Jonathan Ed- 
wards, of the same institution. Both his parents 
dying while he was but an infant, his education devolved upon a private 
instructor. The mind that was afterwards to be marked by such 
strange vicissitudes, soon' began to display its daring character ; for, 
when but four years old, Aaron ran away in consequence of some 
misunderstanding with the teacher, and was not recovered for three 
or four days. 

When six years old, he was placed under the care of his uncle, 
Timothy Edwards, at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he remained 
until his entrance into college. During this time he made an attempt 
to escape from his uncle, and embark on a sea voyage ; but he was 
intercepted and brought back to his residence. 

395 



396 AARON BURR. 

In 1769 he entered Princeton College. Here he pursued his 
studies with such assiduity, that he soon became the first scholar in 
his class. This however, does not seem to have arisen from a genuine 
love of knowle l<r< , but from an anxiety not to be thought below his 
fellows ; for after he had obtained pre-eminence, he suddenly sunk 
into dissipation and indolence, so that his last year at college was as 
remarkable for his neglect of study, as the former. one had been for 
his application. In the meanwhile, he formed acquaintance with 
individuals who afterwards became renowned in different depart- 
ments of intellect — among others Matthias Ogden, afterwards a 
colonel, Samuel Spring, D. D., and William Paterson, subsequently 
judge in the United States supreme court. 

After leaving college, he devoted much of his time to polite litera- 
ture, and having ample means at his disposal, soon made rapid 
advances. At this time also, his mind seems to have been impressed 
with a sense of the importance of religion, and he communicated his 
feelings to the venerable Dr. Bellamy, of Connecticut. With that 
eminent divine he remained for two years, reading on the topics of 
religion, and pursuing his former studies. 

Burr left this hospitable mansion for the residence of his brother- 
in-law, Judge Reeve, at whose house he resided until the battle of 
Lexington, in April, 1775. He had already formed his opinion of 
the contest between England and her colonies, and by study had 
become thoroughly conversant with the theory of tactics. He accord- 
ingly wrote to his friend Ogden, to join the army with him, and they 
set out together immediately after the battle of Bunker Hill. A 
sight of the army disappointed him. It was without organization or 
discipline ; and distracted by dissolute habits, and constant conten- 
tions about rank. Soon after joining, Burr was attacked by a violent 
fever, but left his couch, to join the expedition of General Arnold 
against Quebec. 

In that disastrous expedition, young Burr encountered his full share 
of hardship. He was one of a small party that penetrated through the 
woods separately, and whose sufferings we];e, if possible, even greater 
Jhan those of the main body. Burr suffered less than his companions 
from hunger, on account of his abstemious habits. On one occasion, 
he was very nearly killed by the passage of his boat down a fall 
twenty feet high. 

When the army arrived at the head of the Chaudiere, Burr was 
sent in the disguise of a priest, with a verbal communication to 
General Montgomery. On the way, he encountered a variety of 
danger and adventure, but reached Montgomery and delivered his 
message with such accuracy and good sense, that the general im 



HIS DIFFICULTIES WITH ARNOLD. 



397 




mediately adopted him as one of his military family. During the 
siege and assault of Quebec, he won the approbation of all the 
officers, by his courage and endurance, and received on one occa- 
sion the superintendence of a small advance. He was by General 
Montgomery when he fell, and besides himself, but one of the attend- 
ants escaped unhurt. Arnold then assumed the command ; but Burr 
seems to have been unfriendly to him, as he, on one occasion, posi- 
tively refused to convey a communication from him to the town, on 
account of its objectionable contents. 

ARLY in 1776, the army moved from Mon- 
treal, in its homeward march. On the way 
the difficulties with Arnold increased, until at 
length Burr, who was now a major, left him 
abruptly, in company with four men. This 
was against the express command of Arnold. 
When the major arrived at Albany, he re- 
ceived an invitation from Washington to join 
his head-quarters, which he accepted. The 
connection was not happy — it gave rise to prejudices which were 
never afterwards abandoned. Soon after he became aid to General 
Putnam, a situation more congenial to his wishes. While here he be- 
came acquainted with Miss Moncrieffe, afterwards the notorious 
Mrs. Coglar, and was no doubt the cause of her subsequent dissolute 
character. 

Major Burr was in the disastrous battle of Long Island, where he 
displayed his wonted activity and courage. He had previously made 
a careful reconnoissance of the enemy, and given his opinion to 
Putnam against a battle. In the subsequent retreat to New York, 
he behaved so well as to win the entire confidence of General 
McDougall, who conducted it. 

The British soon followed the American army, and Washington 
found it necessary to abandon all hope of defending the city against 
an overwhelming force. During the second retreat, Burr performed 
an action characteristic of his boldness and energy. Either through 
mistake or mismanagement, one brigade was left in New York, and 
posted themselves on an eminence called Bunker's Hill, which was 
in full view of the enemy. Burr was at this time on a scout for 
fugitives, and on observing the brigade he rode up to it. and asked 
who commanded, and what they did there. General Knox presented 
himself. The major urged him to retreat immediately, as otherwise 
his detachment would be cut to pieces. Knox answered that a 
retreat in the face of the enemy was impossible, announcing his inten- 
tion of defending the fort. Burr replied that the place was not 




398 AARON BURR. 

tenable, that it would be taken at a single discharge, and those of the 
garrison who escaped being shot would be hung like dogs. He then 
exhorted the men to follow him, and actually led them to camp in 
sight of the enemy, with the loss of only about thirty. 

URING the retreat through the Jerseys, 
and the subsequent active campaign of 
General Putnam in that quarter, Burr 
continued to behave sowell as to challenge 
the respect and confidence of men and 
officers. In June, 1777, he was appointed lieu- 
tenanant colonel of the regiment of Colonel Mal- 
colm, at that time stationed in New York. Soon 
after, he received the chief command through the voluntary absence 
of the colonel. He performed active service in drilling the troops 
and cutting up the enemy's picket guards, but soon received orders 
to join the main army, which he did in November. 

At the battle of Monmouth, Burr commanded a brigade consisting 
of his own and another regiment, and was very active in reconnoiter- 
ing the enemy, and harassing their skirmishers. His own loss was 
severe, and he had had a horse shot under him. From constant ex- 
posure to fatigue and heat for three days, with very little sleep, he 
contracted a disease, which affected him for some years, yet so great 
was his endurance that not only did he continue in the performance 
of every duty, but did not even mention his indisposition to the other 
officers. 

In the investigation of General Lee's conduct, which followed this 
battle, Burr was one of the few who took part with that officer in 
opposition to Washington. While aid-de-camp to the commander, 
in 1776, he had imbibed inveterate prejudices against him, which 
continued throughout life, and for the exercise of which he never 
suffered himself to lose an opportunity. 

Burr was again intrusted with a separate command in the state 
of New York, but his constantly increasing ill health, forced him to 
adopt the mortifying resolution to resign his rank and command. 
This was absolutely necessary. His constitution was shattered; he 
could no longer attend to any active duty. His military career ended 
with his resignation, except that he led the students of East Haven 
College against Governor Tryon, in 1779. In this affair he per- 
formed good service, and ever afterwards mentioned the confidence 
evinced by these young men in his military abilities, with proud 
exultation. 

After leaving the army, Burr was for some time incapacitated for 
any active business, but as health slowly returned, he applied himself 



APPOINTED ATTORNEY GENERAL. 



401 




with ardor to his old profession of law. By the rules of court, it was 
required that every student should have completed three years legal 
study, prior to admission at the bar. Colonel Burr applied for an 
exemption from this rule, in consequence of his having served in the 
field, while he might have been pursuing his studies. This was 
opposed by all the lawyers, but the court decided in his favor, pro- 
vided he would stand a rigid examination of qualifications. He 
accordingly passed a trying ordeal, conducted by the opponents of 
his claims, came off victorious, and was admitted. His license bears 
date, January 19th, 1782. He commenced first in Albany. This 
was in April ; and in the following July (2d, 1782,) he was married 
to Miss Theodosia Prevost. Upon the withdrawal of the British 
troops from New York, consequent upon the establishment of peace, 
he entered that city, and soon acquired an extensive practice. 

^ARLY in 178 1, Burr was elected a member 
r^£§ y\ of the New York legislature, and was re- 
^ o > ' 1 ^5 markable for taking part only in matters of 
l*H C^i-j 5 ^ importance. At this time, he seems to have 
been wholly destitute of ambition, and ani- 
mated only with a sincere desire to serve his coun- 
V try. On the 14th of February, 1785, he was 
appointed chairman of a committee from the house, 
to act conjointly with one from the senate, in revising the state laws. 
He also introduced some important bills, and warmly advocated the 
abolition of slavery. His opposition to the bill for incorporating a 
body of the tradesmen and mechanics of New York city, caused 
much excitement, and for a while endangered both his property and 
life. A serious riot was prevented in a great degree by his firmness. 
From this time until 1788, Burr took little part in politics. About 
that time, discussions concerning a national constitution to supersede 
the articles of confederation, began to agilate the public mind. To 
these, a man like Colonel Burr could not be indifferent. When the 
new constitution was under debate in the New York legislature, he 
took part with the parly calling themselves anti-federalists, who, 
although opposed to the old code, preferred amending it, rather than 
adopting a new. In 1789 George Clinton and Robert Yates were 
candidates for the office of governor of the state. The latter was 
the personal and political friend of Colonel Burr, and received his 
warm support. Clinton was elected ; but so little did the opposition 
of Burr affect the opinion he always entertained of his talents and 
integrity, that he immediately appointed the colonel as attorney 
general, an office at that time, involving deep and lasting interests of 
the state. One of these occurred in 1790, when with the treasurer 

26 



402 



AARON BURR. 



and auditor, he was appointed on a board of commissioners, " to 
report on the subject of the various claims against the state, for ser- 
vices rendered, or injuries sustained, during the war of the revolu- 
tion." " The task," says his biographer, " was one of great delicacy, 
and surrounded with difficulties. On Colonel Burr devolved the 
duty of making that report. It was performed in a masterly man- 
ner. When presented to the house, notwithstanding its magnitude, 
involving claims of every description to an immense amount, it met 
with no opposition from any quarter. On the' 5th of April, 1792, 
the report was ordered to be entered at length on the journals of the 
assembly, and formed the basis of all future settlements with public 
creditors on account of the war. In it, the various claimants are 
classified ; legal and equitable principles are established, and applied 
to each particular class. The report occupies eighteen folio pages 
of the journals of the assembly." 

On the 4th of March, 179 1, the term of office of General Schuyler 
as United States senator, expired. Burr succeeded him. His policy 
in this body was similar to that which had characterized him in the 
state legislature. 

In 1792 Clinton was again elected for governor, but in a manner, 
that gave strong reason to suspect extensive fraud. This led to angry 
discussion and intense popular excitement. Colonel Burr strongly 
advocated the election of Clinton, and from this time his course as a 
politician may be dated. 

When Washington delivered his address to Congress, (October 
25th, 1791,) the senate ordered, " That Messrs. Burr, Cabot, and 
Johnston, be a committee to prepare and report the draft of an 
address to the President of the United States, in answer to his speech, 
delivered this day to both houses of Congress in the senate cham- 
ber." Accordingly, on the following day, Burr reported an answer, 
which was adopted without amendment or alteration. He was 
employed on various other committees during this session, and was 
mainly instrumental in defeating an important " act for the more 
effectual protection of the south-western frontier settlers." He con- 
tinued in the senate until the 4th of March, 1797, during which time 
he also practised at his profession. In 1793, he advocated the claim 
of Mr. Gallatin, from Pennsylvania, to a seat in the senate, his right 
being contested. Burr was, however, overruled by a resolution, 
declaring, " That the election of Albert Gallatin to be a senator of 
the United States was void, he not having been a citizen of the 
United States the term of years, required as a qualification to be a 
senator of the United States." In the same year he opposed the 
nomination of his friend, John Jay, as envoy extraordinary to Eng- 



BURRS DOMESTIC AFFLICTIONS. 



•103 




James Madison. 

land, a circumstance which gave considerable pain to that amiable 
character. He subsequently opposed the treaty made by that gentle- 
man, and proposed several amendments, which were rejected. 

When the subject of appointing a minister to the court of France, 
in the place of Gouverneur Morris, was before Congress, the opposi- 
tion party decided upon recommending Colonel Burr. This was 
done by a committee, of whom Madison and Monroe were members. 
When the application was presented, Washington paused for a short 
time, and then observed, that it was his invariable custom, never to 
intrust a responsible station to any individual in whose moral charac- 
ter he could not repose full confidence. This interview was twice 
repeated, but the President remaining firm, Burr's appointment was 
defeated. 

In the spring of 1794, Mrs. Burr died, and in 1801, the colonel's 
only daughter was married and removed to South Carolina. These 
domestic afflictions seem to have destroyed, in a great measure, 
those fine feelings, which had ever marked the colonel in his domestic 
relations, and henceforth his life is a dark and exciting picture of 
passion and intrigue. 

In 1799, Burr became involved in certain transactions with the 
Holland Land Company, which caused so much suspicion of his 



10 1 



AARON BURR. 




John Adams, 

integrity, as to give rise to a report that he had received twenty 
thousand dollars for dishonest secret service. One of the most 
active traducers of Burr was John B. Church, whose language was 
so pointed as to elicit a challenge from the colonel. This was 
accepted, and the parties met at Hoboken, on the 2d of September, 
1799. Mr. Church's second was Abijah Hammond, Esq. Burr's, 
Edanus Burke, of South Carolina. The principals fired one shot, 
and then settled their dispute amicably. 

When the first presidential term of Mr. Adams was about to close, 
the utmost anxiety was evinced throughout the country, both by 
his friends and opponents, for his re-election. Colonel Burr applied 
himself with unparalleled activity to secure the election of Mr. Jef- 
ferson, the democratic candidate. For this purpose he applied him- 
self to the complete organization of the party in New York, knowing 
that the success of the contest depended upon the vote of that state. 
He was singularly successful; and though opposed by General 
Hamilton, he managed to keep the field as a partisan canvasser, and 
at the same time be nominated for the state legislature. The legis- 
lature itself was democratic, and thus democratic electors were chosen 
from New York. Under the old constitution, the presidential candi- 
date who received the highest number of votes became president, 



BURR ELECTED VICE-PRESIDENT. 



405 




and his most successful riva , vice-president. Bun's talents and 
services were appreciated l>y the democratic party ; he was placed 
on the same ticket with Jefferson ; and by a strange fatality, each 
received the same number of votes. 

The choice of president now devolved upon the house of repre- 
sentatives ; thirty-six ballotings took place, during which a scene of 
excitement prevailed rarely surpassed in a legislative body. The 
details are little creditable either to some of the members, or to 
Mr. Jefferson himself; but our limits forbid us to enlarge. The 
vote was finally cast for Thomas Jefferson as President, and Aaron 
Burr, Vice-President. 

HPj^lf § KOM the moment of his accession to this high 
^SS^ t ^ , _ office, fate seemed to have marked him out as 
her peculiar victim. Every action, every word 
the most trival, was watched by his enemies 
with argus eyes ; and among these enemies 
the most virulent were those who had been his 
wannest political friends. He was accused of 
leaguing with the federal party, in order to obtain the presidency 
through the defeat of Mr. Jefferson, and even the names of his 
political associates were published in most of the journals with the 
greatest confidence. Much of this was no doubt false ; but the 
silence of Burr upon it, caused by an adherence to a long adopted 
rule of conduct, tended to give it confirmation with the people. 
Slowly his downward course now commenced ; and in 1804, he who 
three y r ears before could command the triumphant vote of a nation 
for almost any office in its bestowal, was opposed successfully at a 
public meeting in New York, as a nominee for governor. He was 
supported however by a portion of the democratic party ; but being 
opposed by the remainder, as well as by the federalists under Alex- 
ander Hamilton, he was defeated. This led to the duel between that 
great man, and the colonel, which terminated in the death of Hamil- 
ton. It is sufficient here to observe, that all party feelings were 
merged in feelings of sorrow for Hamilton, and consequent indigna- 
tion against his opponent. The last public duty performed by the 
latter, was acting as president of the senate in the case of Judge 
Samuel Chase, who was impeached before the United States Senate 
for "high crimes and misdemeanors." After the vote of the mem- 
bers had been taken without yielding a decision, Colonel Burr said, 
"there not being a constitutional majority on any one article, it 
becomes my duty to pronounce that Samuel Chase, Esq., is acquitted 
on the articles of impeachment exhibited against him by the house of 
representatives." 



400 AARON BURR. 

We come now to a period in the life of Burr fraught with thrilling 
and mysterious interest both to himself and his country. We refer 
to his attempted invasion of Mexico, and alleged treason. As all the 
evidence of nearly half a century has failed to explain the true nature 
of his motives in connection with these transactions, we shall barely 
state what facts have been clearly ascertained, without giving an 
opinion upon them. 

In the beginning of the present century, difficulties arose between 
Spain and the United States, concerning the navigation of the Missis- 
sippi, which for a while threatened a war between the two countries. 
In 1805 and 1806, Burr passed through most of our western terri- 
tory, and engaged in considerable speculations for land, in order to 
establish new and isolated settlements. His love of military enter- 
prise, led him to take an interest in the existing national dispute, until 
finally he was induced to believe that a separation of Mexico from 
Spain, might be accomplished by a force from the United States. 
Something similar to this idea had haunted him long before this 
period, and he now began maturing a plan for its accomplishment. 
He found the contemplated war popular in the west, and by artful 
representations, induced the population of that quarter to believe 
that he was authorized to raise an army for Mexico. He received 
from Colonel Lynch six hundred thousand acres of territory, by pur- 
chase, and by some means the interest on this land, in which many 
worthy citizens were concerned, became blended with his grand 
scheme of invasion. He conferred confidentially with General Wil- 
kinson, who was then in command of some six hundred men, with 
whom the adherents of Burr were to unite. Wilkinson, who was the 
American commander-in-chief, despatched one Clarke to Mexico, to 
ascertain the disposition of the inhabitants toward the mother 
country, and enlist friends for the enterprise. Many priests and 
military officers were favorable to the project, and agreements were 
entered into between the parties for mutual security. Burr also 
visited General Jackson, who entered warmly into his plans. Subse- 
quently, however, that officer declared in a letter, that if it was in- 
tended merely to invade Mexico he would aid the project to the best 
of his ability, but if Burr had treasonable designs against the United 
States, as was reported, he would have nothing to do with him. 

These bold movements could not escape the notice of the people of 
our country, and especially of Burr's numerous enemies. Mr. Jef- 
ferson ordered his arrest on a charge of treason. He was taken on 
the Tombigbee river, Mississippi territory, and arrived at Richmond, 
Virginia, on the 26th of March, 1807. Several other persons were 
arrested about the same time, the principal of whom was the cele- 



BURR S TRIAL FOR TREASON. 



4 07 




William Wirt. 

orated Blennerhassett. The trial came on, May 22d, before the 
Circuit Court of the United States, Judge Marshall presiding. 
About a month after, the grand jury presented two bills, one for trea- 
son, the other for misdemeanor. After obtaining a jury, the trial on 
the first indictment commenced, August 17th, and continued un- 
til the first of September. The jury returned as follows : — " We 
of the jury say, that Aaron Burr is not proved to be guilty under 
this indictment by any evidence submitted to us. We therefore find 
him not guilty." Burr objected to this verdict as informal, asserting 
that the jury had no right to depart from the usual and simple form, 
guilty, or not guilty. The court overruled the objection, and entered 
the verdict as not guilty. It is worthy of remark, that the celebrated 
William Wirt first attracted public attention to his brilliant talents by 
taking part as an attorney and pleader in this trial. 

On the 9th of the same month, the trial commenced on the second 
indictment. The charge was, in substance, "that Aaron Burr did set 
on foot a military enterprise to be carried on against the territory of 
a foreign prince ; namely, the province of Mexico, which was within 
the territory of the king of Spain, with whom the United States were 
at peace." Much excitement prevailed at the trial, but the jury re- 
turned a verdict of 'not guilty. ,' 

Next year (June 7th,) Burr left a land, whose every quarter must 
have been painful to him, and sailed for England. Here he was an 
object of distrust to government, and although respected by many 



408 AARON BURR. 

distinguished characters, was finally ordered from the kingdom. He 
next repaired to France, where he received still worse treatment from 
Napoleon, being not only most strictly watched, but even refused a 
passage to his own country. His life at this time, appears to have 
been one of wretchedness, and his pecuniary means were so low, 
that he was frequently reduced to the utmost distress. At length he 
was permitted to leave France for Amsterdam, from whence he sailed 
for America. On the way, he was captured by an English frigate, 
and conveyed to Yarmouth. Here he was obliged to remain for five 
months ; so that it was not until the 8th of June, 1812, four years 
after leaving his native country, that he again reached its shores. 

The subsequent career of Colonel Burr may be comprised in a few 
words. He devoted himself assiduously to the bar, with a success 
as rapid as it was flattering. All ambitious projects seemed now to 
have left his bosom ; and he rarely took part in politics, unless at 
the presidential contest, and then only among particular friends. The 
death of his grandson, Aaron Burr Allston, and the loss of his only 
daughter, in a ship supposed to have been wrecked or captured by 
pirates, severed the last domestic ties which held him to earth, and 
exerted a perceptible influence on all his subsequent life. " For two 
or three years before his death," says his biographer, " he suffered 
under the effects of a paralysis. Much of the time, he was in a 
measure helpless, so far as locomotion was concerned. His general 
health however, was tolerably good, by using great precaution in his 
diet. He had long abstained from the use of either tea or coffee, as 
affecting his nervous system. His mind retained much of its vigor, 
and his memory, as to events of long standing, seems to have been 
unimpaired. Under sufferings of body or mind he seldom complained ; 
but during the last years of his life he became more restive and 
impatient. The friends of his youth had gone before him ; all the 
ties of consanguinity which could operate in uniting him to the 
world, were severed asunder. To him there remained no brother, 
no sister, no child, no lineal descendant. He had numbered four- 
score years, and seemed anxious for the arrival of the hour when his 
eyes should be closed in everlasting sleep." 

In the summer of 1836, Colonel Burr was removed to Staten 
Island for the benefit of his health. Here he expired, on the 14th 
of September, in the eighty-first year of his age. His remains were 
afterwards removed to Princeton, New Jersey, in accordance with 
his own request, and interred in the college ground, with the honors 
of war, and in presence of a large body of spectators. 




BRIGADIER GENERAL ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 




LEXANDER HAMILTON was born in the 
Island of Nevis, in the British West Indies, 
on the eleventh of January, 1757. His ances- 
try were Scottish. He received his education 
in the Island of St. Croix, under the super- 
intendence of the Rev. Dr. Knox, a Presby- 
terian divine, who gave to his mind a strong 
religious bias that never left it. At an early 
age he was placed as a clerk in the counting- 
house of a Mr. Cruger, a merchant of St. Croix, in whose service 
he began to display the wonderful talents which have made his name 
so distinguished. At the age of twelve, we find him writing to a 
school-fellow : " I contemn the grovelling condition of a clerk, to 
which my fortune condemns me, and would willingly risk my life, 
though not my character, to exalt my station ; I mean to prepare 
the way for futurity." 

All his leisure moments were devoted to study, and nothing was 

409 



410 ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 

omitted that could exalt his mind or increase his knowledge. He 
wrote an account of the hurricane that swept over some of the West 
India islands, in 1772, so graphic and elegant, as to excite general 
admiration, and, though he had published it anonymously, his 
authorship was discovered. His gratified friends determined to send 
him to New York, that he might receive a liberal education. Arriving 
at New York in October, 1772, he studied with Mr. Francis Barber, 
afterwards Colonel Barber, of the revolutionary army, until the close 
of 1773, when he entered King's, now Columbia College, New 
York. A mind endowed in so extraordinary a manner as was his, 
could not refrain from taking an active side in the great questions of 
colonial rights, then under discussion. Several anonymous tracts 
and elaborate pamphlets proceeded from his pen, in which he took 
the broadest ground in the defence of the colonists, and urged the 
policy of encouraging domestic manufactures, and the production, in 
the south, of cotton, that the whole continent might be able to clothe 
itself. In the course of these publications, he became involved in a 
controversy with Dr. Cooper, the head of the college, and other able 
logicians, in which he displayed such great powers, that the learned 
doctor held to be absurd the idea that so young a man as Hamilton 
could be his opponent. In July, 1774, Hamilton appeared at a public 
meeting, held where the Park now is, in front of the City Hall, New 
York, and made a speech characterized by eloquence and force. He 
was then seventeen years of age. 

IN the following year, while still at college, 
he joined a volunteer corps of militia in 
New York, and studied and reduced to 
practice, the details of military tactics. 
At the same time he was busily engaged 
in investigating the several points of 
political science, relative to commerce, 
the balance of trade, and the circulating 



medium. 

On the 14th of March, 1776, he was appointed captain of a pro- 
vincial company of artillery, in New York city, and in that rank he 
was soon in active service. He brought up the rear in the retreat of 
the army from Long Island, and succeeded in attracting the notice 
and esteem of Washington at the time of the battle of the White 
Plains, in October of that year. Unflinching in the cause, and ac- 
tive in his duty, he remained at the head of his company during the 
retreat through the Jerseys, at Trenton and at Princeton. On the 
first of March, 1777, he was made aid-de-camp to General Wash 
ington, with the rank of lieutenant-colonel ; and he continued to be a 




SERVICES AT MONMOUTH AND YORKTOWN 



411 



member of the family of the commander-in-chief until the year 
1781. General Washington called him his "principal and most 
confidential aid." In that station he had every opportunity of 
making known his talents and accomplishments. His knowledge of 
the French language, joined to his kindness and his desire to be of 
use to them, won upon the French officers in the service of our 
country, and, among others, Genera] La Fayette and Baron Steuben, 
became strongly attached to him. The confidence and esteem of 
the latter officer enabled Colonel Hamilton to become fully ac- 
quainted with his merits, and he therefore recommended him to Gene- 
ral Washington as the most suitable person for the important office 
of inspector general, while Hamilton's own abilities were tested by 
the task of designating the powers and duties of this new officer. 

N November, 1777, Colonel Hamilton 
was sent to Albany, to obtain a rein- 
forcement of three brigades from Gene- 
ral Gates for the army opposed to 
General Howe in Philadelphia, and he 
succeeded in getting two of the three 
without displaying his absolute au- 
thority to the irascible Gates, who 
showed much reluctance to complying 
with the requisition. By the advice 
and persuasions of Colonel Hamilton, the battle of Monmouth was 
resolved upon contrary to the opinion of the majority of a council 
of war ; and the young soldier displayed the greatest gallantry in the 
battle, fighting under the orders of General La Fayette. In October, 
1 7 SO, he earnestly recommended the appointment of General Greene 
to the command of the southern army, as a general " whose genius," 
he said, " carried in it all the resources of war." When he retired 
from the family of General Washington, he still retained his rank in 
the army, and was exceedingly desirous to obtain a separate com- 
mand in some light corps in the army. He was gratified, after some 
time, with the command of a corps of light infantry, attached to the 
division under the command of the Marquis de La Fayette. He led 
the night attack upon one of the enemy's redoubts at Yorktown, 
which were carried with a rapidity and bravery only equalled by the 
more modern exploits of American arms. The active service of the 
army being now ended, Colonel Hamilton turned his attention to the 
profession of the law, fitted himself for its practice with amazing 
facility, and was admitted, in 1782, to the bar of the supreme court 
of New York. 

Although the principal labor of the correspondence of the com- 





412 ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 

mander-in-chief had fallen upon Colonel Hamilton while an aid, he 
had nevertheless found time to investigate the burdens that pressed 
most heavily upon the colonies during the war. The loss of public 
credit through the enormous issues of paper currency, and the conse- 
quent inability of the government and the army to sustain them- 
selves and support the war, called forth all his energies to find a 
means of relief. His letters upon the subject to Robert Morris, in 
1779, produced the formation of the Bank of Pennsylvania, which 
by lending its aid to the national bank, established also by the sug- 
gestion and according to the plan of Hamilton, enabled it to retrieve 
in a measure the credit of the country, and support the army till the 
conclusion of the war. 

OLONEL HAMILTON, in 1780, wrote a letter 
to Mr. Duane, a member of Congress from New 
York, on the state of the nation, which is the 
most able paper upon the subject that appeared 
during the war. In his plan for remedying the 
defects, contained in the letter, he sketched the 
outline of our present constitution, almost as it 
was afterwards adopted. He was then just twenty-three years of 
age. He resumed this subject in a series of anonymous essays in a 
country paper of New York, in the winter of 178 1--2, with his usual 
ability. The New York legislature elected him to Congress in 1782, 
to the proceedings of which body he speedily gave a new and more 
vigorous tone. In all he did, his clear and sound reasoning, and 
the manly and graceful powers of his mind were conspicuous. His 
labors in the public service were incessant. He was the foremost 
man of the New York delegation to the convention, for the forma- 
tion of the constitution ; his counsels and almost unanswerable argu- 
ments were heard upon every important point, and, after its adoption, 
he entered the field as its most able defender. Of the eighty-five 
papers published over the signature of " Publius," and collected into 
the two volumes called " The Federalist," he wrote more than fifty. 
The others were the work of Mr. Madison and Mr. Jay. The 
familiarity with the subject, acquired in preparing these immortal 
documents, and his participation in the proceedings of the convention, 
enabled him to bring all the wisdom of the commentator to aid his 
eloquence as an orator, when it became his duty to defend the con- 
stitution in the New York state convention, assembled to adopt or 
reject it. 

His triumphant success in managing the fiscal concerns of the 
nation, after the formation of the new government, under President 
Washington, is too well known to require repetition. Whenever the 



DEATH OF HAMILTON. 



413 



name of Washington is mentioned as the founder of our happy- 
government, the memory of Hamilton will suggest itself as its 
brightest ornament and the firmest pillar of its support. It was by 
the advice of Hamilton that General Washington issued his famous 
proclamation of neutrality, in April, 1793, which afterwards formed 
the ground-work of the foreign policy of the first president, and by 
his advice Mr. Jay was sent to conclude his famous treaty with Great 
Britain, as minister extraordinary, in 1794. Although he had retired 
from the cabinet when Mr. Jay's treaty became the subject of popular 
discussion, yet he defended its wisdom and justice in a series of 
papers over the signature of Camillus, in the summer of 1795. Few 
among American state papers are more able than these productions. 
Colonel Hamilton was again involved in a political discussion, on 
the occasion of the ill treatment received by our government from 
the French republic. His essays upon this subject were published 
under the signature of Titus Manlius, and suggested the proper 
course to be that, which was shortly afterwards adopted by the 
government. At the recommendation of General Washington, Colo- 
nel Hamilton was appointed inspector-general of the small army that 
was raised in anticipation of hostilities with France in 1798. 

N the winter of 1804, Colonel Aaron Burr 
was proposed as a candidate for governor 
of the state of New York. At a public 
meeting, Colonel Hamilton declared that 
he considered Colonel Burr an unsafe and unfit 
person to be. placed in such an office ; expressions 
for which Colonel Burr thought proper to call him 
to an account in the next year, after he had been 
defeated. Colonel Hamilton, opposed as he was to the practice of 
duelling, nevertheless thought it necessary to meet him in the field. 
He fell on the 12th of July, 1806, mourned most sincerely by all the 
inhabitants of the country. The subsequent mysterious conduct of 
Colonel Burr, while it proved the justice of Hamilton's opinion, pro- 
duced no effect upon his character, in comparison with the odium he 
incurred by his conduct in the dispute with the lamented Hamilton. 
The last years of the life of Colonel Hamilton were devoted to the 
practice of the law in New York, where he enjoyed an overwhelming 
share of business. The able author of his biography in the National 
Portrait Gallery, says of him : " He was a great favorite with the 
New York merchants, and he justly deserved to be so, for he had 
uniformly proved himself to be an enlightened, intrepid, and perse- 
vering friend to the commercial prosperity of the country. He was 
a great master of commercial law, as well as of the principles of 




414 



ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 




international jurisprudence. There were no deep recesses of the 
science which he did not explore. He would occasionally draw from 
the fountains of the civil law, and illustrate and enforce the enlight- 
ened decisions of Mansfield, by the severe 
judgment of Emerigon, and the lucid 
commentaries of Valin. In short, he con 
ferred dignity and high reputation on the 
profession, of which he was indisputably 
the first of the first rank, by his indefati 
gable industry, his thorough researches, 
his logical powers, his solid judgment, his 
winning candor, and his matchless elo- 
quence." 

The popularity of General Hamilton 
with the merchants of New York was not 
a transient one. So late as the year 
1835, his statue was placed by them in 
the Exchange of the great commercial 
metropolis, destined unfortunately to be 
destroyed in the great fire of that year. A 
cotemporary journalist says : 
If any specimen of statuary can impress the beholder with exalted 
ideas of the art of sculpture, it is the statue of Alexander Hamilton, 
To look upon it, is to see Hamilton himself ; and to feel almost 
conscious that we are in his living presence. When we disburthen 
ourselves of the impression that it is him, the mind is filled with admi- 
ration at the triumph of that noble art that can make the marble 
almost warm with life. There stands the form of Hamilton in 
majesty, yet repose ; there is the broad and noble forehead, the ma- 
jestic and thoughtful brow, the free, intelligent, commanding eye; 
you almost perceive the temples throb, you mark every line of fea- 
ture, and every expression of countenance. The limbs and form are 
chastely imagined, and the whole is invested with dignity and grace, 
eloquence and power. The Roman toga hangs gracefully over the 
left shoulder ; the right hand, resting upon an oblong polished pedestal, 
holds a scroll, which may represent the act empowering the funding 
of the national debt, with the seal of government appended ; the left 
arm hangs gracefully by his side. It is almost a speaking statue; 
beautiful in design, and wonderful in the execution, which has carried 
the minutest parts to extraordinary perfection. What a powerful 
conception, strong imagination, discriminating taste, excellent judg- 
ment, and skilful hand, must distinguish the artist who can chisel 
such a ' human form divine,' to which we may apply the adage, 



STATCE OF HAMILTON. 



415 



nascitur, non fit. Of this order we may class Mr. Ball Hughes of 
New York, to whose skilful hand the country is indebted for this mag- 
nificent production. For him, the statue of Hamilton speaks higher 
and more enduring encomiums than the most lavish praise. To look 
on this statue, or the monument of Bishop Hobart in Trinity Church, 
or the busts of Edward Livingston and others, is to be convinced of 
his superior talents. 

" The statue of Hamilton was chiselled from a solid block of white 
Italian marble, weighing nine tons ; was about two years in the hands 
of the artist, and weighs now one and a half tons. It is purely white, 
highly finished, and finely contrasts with the blue granite pedestal on 
which it stands, fourteen feet high. It adorns the centre of the great 
room in the Merchants' Exchange, where it was first exposed to view 
about the middle of April last. It was erected by the merchants of 
the city, at a cost of six thousand to eight thousand dollars. We are 
happy to coincide with Colonel Trumbull in this matter, in thinking 
that 'there are very few pieces of statuary in Europe superior to 
this, and not twenty-five sculptors in the universe who can surpass 
this work.' " 





MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM HEATH. 




'AJOR GENERAL WILLIAM HEATH was 
born in Massachusetts, on the second of March, 
1737, and was of the fifth generation, on whom 
the family estate had devolved. His education 
was plain, and suited to agricultural pursuits. 
Although bred to a farmer's life, he very early 
displayed a fondness for military life. By the 
reading of military works, he became intimately acquainted with 
the profession of arms. In 1765, he was elected a member of 
the ancient and honorable artillery company of Boston. Immedi- 
ately after this, at the solicitation of the colonel of the first regiment 
of Suffolk militia, he was commissioned by Governor Bernard to 
command the colonel's own company. He subsequently served as 
lieutenant, and aftewards as captain of that ancient and honorable 
corps, into which he had first been received. A strong private 
attachment grew up between Governor Bernard and Captain Heath, 
notwithstanding a difference of opinion with respect to the troubles 
which were then in embryo^ 

About the time of the Boston massacree, 1770, Captain Heath 
commenced a series of addresses to the public, signed " A Military 
Countryman." In these addresses, he pointed out to the colonists 
the importance of acquiring a knowledge of arms, and an acquaint- 
ance with military discipline. 

Governor Hutchinson, successor to Bernard, in reorganizing the 
Suffolk militia, left Captain Heath out of his command, in conse- 
quence of his known attachment to the colonial rights. When, 
however, the crisis had so far advanced, that the colonists determined 
to choose their own officers, to prepare for a final appeal for redress 

416 



APPOINTED A MAJOR GENERAL. 



417 




f 



Governor Hutchinson. 

of grievances, Captain Heath was chosen by the officers of the first 
regiment of militia of Suffolk county to be their colonel. 

In 1775, the Provincial Congress, which then held their sittings at 
Cambridge, appointed Colonel Heath one of their generals. The 
generals then appointed were authorized to oppose, with the troops 
under their respective commands, the carrying into execution of the act 
of the British parliament, for the better regulation of the province 
of Massachusetts Bay in New England. This was one of the most 
impolitic measures the British ministry could have adopted ; instead 
of its producing the anticipated result, it only served to blow into 
a flame the embers of discontent, which sound policy would have 
induced them to extinguish. Resistance to this act, and to others 
equally tyrannical, was regarded by the colonists as an imperative 
duty. 

General Heath was actively employed in the fulfilment of the 
duties assigned him, both as a general officer and as a member of the 
committee of safety, of which latter he had been made a member. 
The battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill witnessed his devotion 
to the colonial rights. The day following the battle of Lexington, 
he appointed Mr. Joseph Ward his aid-de-camp and secretary. A 
few days subsequent to the battle, General Heath was ordered with 
four regiments to Roxbury, where he remained until July. In the 
organization of the army by the Continental Congress, General Heath 
was the fourth brigadier general in numerical order, previous to 

27 



418 



WILLIAM HEATH. 




which arrangement being known in camp, he had received a commis- 
sion of major-general from the Provincial Congress. 

^■j BOUT the time the Americans were fortify- 
ing themselves in Cambridge and Roxbury, 
General Heath prevailed upon Captain 
Henry Knox, of the Boston grenadiers, to 
join the army. The disposition of Knox 
did not require much eloquence to induce 
him to engage in the defence of the colo- 
nies. He subsequently rose to the chie/ 
command of the artillery, and was de- 
servedly high in the public estimation 
throughout the war. 
On the night of the 23d of November, 1775, General Heath was 
ordered with a detachment to Cobble's Hill, to complete the works 
begun the preceding evening by a fatigue party under General Put- 
nam. While the work was going on, General Heath pointed out to 
his men how to act, so as to receive the least possible injury from the 
fire of the enemy's floating batteries in the adjacent waters. Heath 
was relieved, as Putnam had been, and his men retired from the 
position uninjured and unmolested. The main army remained in the 
vicinity of Boston, occasionally skirmishing with the enemy until 
March, 1776. The defensive works which had been thrown up 
during this period were of much service, so much, in fact, that the 
British garrison were obliged to evacuate Boston on the 17th of 
March, and retire to Halifax. 

On the 20th of March, General Heath was ordered to New York 
with the troops under General Putnam, destined for the defence of 
that important station. In the following August, Generals Spencer, 
Greene, Sullivan and Heath, respectively received from Congress 
commissions as major-generals, dating from the 9th of the same 
month. 

After his promotion, the command of the troops posted above 
King's bridge, and of all troops and stations on the north end of 
York Island, was given him. While the main body of the enemy 
were engaged in active operations on Long Island, a brig and two 
ships anchored a little above Frog Point. General Heath detached 
Colonel Graham, with his regiment, to prevent any of their crews 
from landing. The different operations of the enemy kept the 
general incessantly engaged in the duties of his station. 

In September, in consequence of information which he had re- 
ceived, General Heath devised a plan for carrying off some British 
with their baggage, who were remaining on Montrefore Island. The 



heath's services IN NEW .JERSEY. 419 

plan however failed, the detachment was compelled to return, with the 
loss of fifteen in killed, wounded, and missing. During this month 
the various movements of the British gave the general full em- 
ployment. 

Immediately after the capture of the Hessians at Trenton, and the 
battle of Princeton, which General Washington communicated to 
General Heath in the beginning of January, 17 77, he was ordered 
to move his force towards New York, to impress a belief on the 
enemy, that that city was the object of his attention. The object 
of this feint was to afford the enemy an opportunity of facilitating 
their retreat through New Jersey. 

In pursuance of these orders the general was engaged in carrying 
them into execution until the 10th of March, when he obtained 
leave of absence from the commander-in-chief, for a short time to 
visit his family. On his return he was invested with the command 
of the eastern department, in consequence of the resignation of 
General Ward. He therefore immediately retraced his steps to 
Boston, in order to assume the duties incumbent upon him in the sta- 
tion assigned him. 

The active duties of so important a station occupied the general's 
attention incessantly ; and when the surrender of Burgoyne took 
place, his troops being sent prisoners to Boston, the charge of them 
of course fell upon General Heath as commander of the eastern 
department of the army. This was a delicate duty, and attended 
with considerable difficulty. 

The numerous difficulties which had impeded the fulfilment of the 
articles of the capitulation of the British army to General Gates, 
were so far removed by the latter part of March, as to permit the 
return of General Burgoyne to England. After General Burgoyne's 
departure, General Heath entered into a negotiation with the British 
General Pigot for the future supply of the whole captive army. 
This act received the approval of Congress. 

On the 17th of June, a British officer was shot by an American 
sentinel ; the moment General Heath became acquainted with the 
circumstance, he ordered the sentinel placed under arrest, and a 
coroner's inquest to be held over the body of the deceased, and ac- 
quainted General Phillips with the circumstance, and the proceedings 
which he had ordered thereon. It appeared by the coroner's inquest, 
that the deceased, (Lieutenant Brown, of the twenty-first regiment,) 
in company with two females, had attempted to pass the line of 
sentinels without complying witli the necessary formalities. Some 
little difficulty now occurred between General Phillips, the senior 
captive officer, and General Heath, but Heath was steady to his duty, 



420 



W I I. /. I A M II I. I II. 



and Phillip* was obligi d to lubmit . In tin i ase of lirow n'i death, the 
course pursued by General Heath received tin- approval of Congress, 
ppeared by ;i resolution pa i d by that body, .July 7tli, 177H. 

On tin- 12th "I November, 1778, General Heath wan replaced in 
the eastern department by General Gates, and on the 2d of April, 
the command again devolved upon bim. Hi.- remained in Boston till 
June, when In- rec< ived orders from Genera] Washington to join the 
main army. On tin 23d oi June he was invested with tin: command 
id ;.il tin colonial troopi i at I "l the Hudson rivi r, This change "I 
ituation brought him Bgain into the duties of the field, from winch 
In ituation ■■! the head ol the eastern departmenl had for some time 
relieved him. On the 30th ol June, he received a notification from 

John Jay, Esq., Pri iid< nl ol Coi announcing Ins election as a 

commissionei ol the board <>f war, with a salary oi four thousand 
dollars pel annum, retaining at the same tunc Ins rani in the army. 
l hi proffer ol Congress Heath de< lint d, as he manifested a wish to 
ri main in the station which he then held. 

On the I ltd ol July, General Heath, according to orders from Gen- 
eral Washington, marched his division for Bedford, in Connecticut, 
where he arrived on the 1 4th, and finding that the British shipping 
rone dow n the Sound toward New \ ork, he took a strong position 
bel • een Bedford and Ridgefield. In order to withdraw the attention 
ol the British from Connecticut, Genera] Washington planned the 
surprise ol stony Point, which Genera] Wayne so gallantly executed. 
On the Americans removing from Stony Point, General Heath wan 
ordered to proceed with his division to Peekskill, and supersede Gen 
eral Robert Howe. He also prevented General Sir Henry Clinton 
from executing his design ol cutting oil the retreat of General Howe, 
hy taking possession ol all the passes in the highlands. General 
Heath was actively engaged with Ins division until the end of the 
campaign. On the 28th of November General Washington invested 
him with the command ol all the troops and posts on the Hudson 
river. This was considered the key ol communication between the 
eastern and southern states. 

In the lallei end ol I'ehrnary , he ohlained permission from Wash- 
ington to visit. Ins family and friends in Ni w England. In June he- 
was ordered to repair to Providence, Rhode Island, to meet, the 
commandej ol the Preni h forces and fleet, which wen- daily expected. 
The ihet arrived al Newport, on the I Ith oi .Inly, and the general 

rep d thither, where he was introduced to Count Rochambeau, 

and the Chevaliei Ternay, commander! oi the French land and sea 
forces. Here commenced a close intimacy between General Heath 
and Count Rochambeau, which lasted during the whole war. 



SURRENDER OF CORNWALLIS. 



421 




Count Rochambeau. 



On the 1st of October, General Heath, left Newport, in order to 
take command of West Point, in place of General Greene, who had 
been ordered to supersede General Gates in the southern states. 
Complimentary letters of leave passed between Generals Rocham- 
beau and Heath. On the 17th General Heath assumed the command 
of West Point, and the predatory excursions of lite enemy afforded 
him sufficient employ. In July, 1781, he was appointed to com- 
mand the right wing of the main army, then encamped at Phillips- 
burg. 

In the following August, General Washington confidentially com- 
municated to General Heath, a blow, which he intended to strike the 
enemy, for which purpose he detached a portion of the army south- 
ward, leaving Heath in command "I the main army during his absence, 
with orders to act only on the defensive. On the 28th of October, 
he received a despatch from Washington, announcing the success of 
the meditated blow, which had terminated in the surrender of Corn- 
wallis and the British army at Sorklown, in Virginia. 

General Washington relumed from the south in the following April, 
and established his bead-quarters at Newburg, on the west bank of 
the Hudson river. On resuming the command, General Washington 



422 



WILLIAM HEATH. 




d-Quarters at Newbury. 



publicly returned his thanks to General Heath for the successful 
execution of the trust reposed in him, during his absence. 

The army being now inactive, General Heath, by leave of the com- 
mander-in-chief, proceeded on the 5th of December to visit his farm 
in Roxbury, and returned to head-quarters at Newburg on the 14th 
of April following. The revolutionary contest had now drawn to a 
close ; news had been received that a treaty of peace had been signed ; 
and on the 19th of April the welcome tidings were published at head- 
quarters. General Heath was the first officer who ordered and gave 
directions for the guard at Prospect-hill, in 1775, after the battle of the 
1 9th of April in that year, and he was left the last general of the day 
in the main army to perform the duties affixed to that station, 1783. 

On the 24th of June, General Heath received a letter from Gen- 
eral Washington, taking an affectionate leave of him, which was 
couched in the strongest language of friendship. On the same day 
General Heath started for his residence in Massachusetts, where, on 
his arrival, he exchanged the habiliments of a soldier for the garb of 
a private citizen. The general in the evening of bis days reposed in 
domestic felicity, enjoying the reward of his toils, in the warm affec- 
tion of a people in whose cause his life had frequently been placed. in 
jeopardy. General Heath died at his seat in Roxbury, January 24th, 
1814, aged seventy-seven years. 




COLONEL ZEBULON BUTLER, 




EBULON BUTLER was born at Lyme, in 
the state of Connecticut, in the year 1731. 
He entered early in life into the service of his 
country in the provincial troops of his native 
state. In this service he remained, actively 
employed, for several years, and rose from the 
rank of an ensign to the command of a com- 
pany. He partook largely in the transactions 
of the war between the English and French, on the frontiers of 
Canada, particularly in the campaign of 1758, at Fort Edward, 
Lake George, Ticonderoga, and Crown Point. In 1761 he was 
again at. Crown Point, and at that time held the rank of captain. 
The history of these transactions is well known, and need not here 
be repeated. In June, 1762, Captain Butler sailed with his com- 
pany, and the other provincial troops, to reinforce the British, then 
besieging the Havana ; and on the 20th of July, the vessel in which 
he sailed was shipwrecked on a reef of rocks on the island of Cuba. 
They were fortunate enough to escape to the shore, where they re- 
mained nine days, and were then taken on board a man of war. Five 
other ships were discovered also shipwrecked on the same side of 
the island ; and after waiting until these were relieved, they again 
steered for Havana. They arrived and anchored with the rest of 
the fleet on the 9th of August, and the next day landed and en- 

423 



424 



ZEBUL0N BUTLER. 



camped. The sufferings and the success of the British at the siege 
of Havana are matters of history. Captain Butler shared in the 
dangers of the remainder of the siege, as well as in the honors and 
profits of the surrender, which took place shortly after the arrival 
of the reinforcements. 

On the 21st of October, 1762, Captain Butler sailed out of the 
harbor of Havana, on his return, on board the Royal Duke transport. 
On the 7th of November, in latitude 35, she ship sprung a leak, and 
it was by the greatest exertions for three days that she could be kept 
afloat until the men were transferred to other ships. When this 
was accomplished they left the Royal Duke to sink. He arrived at 
New York on the 21st day of December. 

When the aggressions of the British ministry compelled their 
American colonies to take up arms in defence of their rights, Captain 
Butler was among the first to tender his services to his country. His 
offer was accepted, and he was appointed a lieutenant-colonel in the 
Connecticut line. In this capacity he was with the army in the cam- 
paign of 1777, in New Jersey, and served until 1779, when he was 
appointed colonel of the second Connecticut regiment, to rank as 
such from the 13th of March, 1778. Some time previous to this, 
Colonel Butler had become interested in lands purchased of the 
Indians by the Susquehanna company, lying in the valley of Wyo- 
ming, and adjacent to the Susquehanna river. He had visited the 
valley, and was so much pleased with it, that he determined to 
remove into it. This flourishing settlement had been established 
by the people of Connecticut, and was claimed by them by virtue of 
their charter and their purchase from the Indians. It consisted of 
several large townships, beautifully situated on both sides of the 
river ; and that part of it which is included in the valley of Wyoming 
was, and still is, one of the most delightful spots in our country. Its 
situation, soil, and scenery, cannot be surpassed. It had long been 
the favorite abode of the savages, and they viewed, with peculiar 
animosity, its occupancy by strangers. The war in which the colo- 
nists were engaged with the mother country, and the encouragement 
and protection held out by the British to the Indians, afforded the 
latter a good opportunity for gratifying their wicked designs, in the 
destruction of this remote settlement. This they, in conjunction 
with the British tories, effectually accomplished in July, 1778. 

This settlement, at an early period of our revolutionary struggle, 
had been drained of its effective force, by furnishing two companies, 
of ninety men each, to the continental army. Soon after the depar- 
ture of these troops, the Indians began to assume a hostile attitude, 
and their conduct, together with other suspicious circumstances, 



ATTACK ON WYOMING. 427 

led the inhabitants to suspect that some mischief was meditating 
against them, though they did not apprehend an immediate attack. 
For their better security, several stockade forts were built in the 
different townships, and a company of rangers was raised, under the 
command of Captain Hewitt. This company was destined to remain 
in the valley for its defence, and to ascertain by its scouts the move- 
ments of the Indians, some of whom were located at their Indian 
towns, about fifty miles up the Susquehanna. In the spring of 1778, 
the settlers, fearing an attack, sent an express to the board of war, 
to represent the danger in which the settlement at Wyoming was of 
being destroyed by the Indians and tories, and to request that the 
men who had gone from the valley, and joined the continental army, 
might be ordered to return, and assist in the defence of their homes. 
Their request was granted, and a company, commanded by Captain 
Spalding, composed of what remained of the two companies before 
mentioned as having been enlisted at Wyoming, set out for the valley, 
and were within two days' march of it, on the day of the fatal battle. 
About the first of June, the same year, a scouting party from Captain 
Hewitt's company discovered a number of canoes, with Indians, on 
the river at some distance above the settlement, and a few days after 
a party of Indians attacked, and killed or made prisoners, nine or ten 
men, while at work on the bank of the river, about ten miles above 
the fort. Many circumstances indicated the approach of a large 
body of the enemy. Such was the situation of the settlement when 
Colonel Butler arrived. This was the latter part of June, and but a 
few days before the battle. On the first of July, the militia under 
the command of Colonel Denison, with all others who were capable 
and willing to bear arms, assembled at the fort in Wilkesbarre, being 
the principal fort. They made an excursion against the enemy, killed 
two Indians, and found the bodies of the men who had been mur- 
dered by them. When they returned, each man was obliged to go 
to his own house and furnish himself with provisions, as there were 
none collected at the fort. In consequence of this dispersion, they 
were not able to assemble again until the 3d of July, when their 
whole strength amounted to about three hundred and fifty men. 

It probably would have been greater, but many of the settlers 
chose rather to remain in the other forts for the purpose of defending 
their families and property, in which they naturally felt a greater in- 
terest than in the general welfare. Of the whole force, consisting 
of the militia Captain Hewitt's company of rangers, and a few 
volunteers, including several officers and soldiers of the regular army, 
who happened to be in the valley, Colonel Butler was requested to 
take the command. The whole, as before stated, amounted to about 



428 ZEBULON BUTLER. 

three hundred and fifty men, indifferently furnished with arms and 
ammunition. 

As the enemy had entered the valley at the upper end, and had 
advanced directly towards the fort, in which the settlers were as- 
sembled, the object of the savages was supposed to be to attack them 
in the fort. The enemy had taken fort Wintermote, and one other 
small fort, and burnt them, and were burning and laying waste the 
whole country in their progress. Colonel Butler held a consultation 
with the officers, and it was decided to be best to go out and inter- 
cept the progress of the enemy, if possible, and put an end to the 
scene of devastation which they witnessed. Being perfectly acquainted 
with the country, they marched out some distance from the fort, and 
formed on the bank of a creek, in a very advantageous situation. 
Here they lay concealed, expecting that the enemy would advance 
to attack the fort, and knowing that if they did so they would pass 
the place where the Americans were in ambush. In this situation 
they remained near half a day, but no enemy appearing, a council 
was called, in which there was a difference of opinion as to the 
expediency of advancing and attacking the enemy, or of returning to 
the fort, there to defend themselves until the arrival of Captain 
Spalding's company, which was daily expected. On the one hand, 
the hope of succour, and their uncertainty as to the strength of the 
enemy, were urged as reasons for returning ; and on the other, the 
destruction of the whole country, which would inevitably follow such 
a step, together with the insufficiency of the fort, and the want of 
provisions to enable them to stand a siege, were powerful reasons in 
favor of risking an immediate battle. Captain Lazarus Stewart, a 
brave man, famous in the country for his exploits among the Indians, 
and whose opinion had much weight, urged an immediate attack ; 
declaring that if they did not march forward that day and attack the 
enemy, he would withdraw with his whole company. This left them 
no alternative, and they advanced accordingly. 

They had not gone above a mile, before the advance guard fired, 
upon some Indians who were in the act of plundering and burning a 
house. These fled to their camp, and gave the alarm that the Ameri- 
cans were approaching. Fort Wintermote was at this time the head- 
quarters of the enemy. Their whole force, consisting of Indians, 
British, and tories, was, as near as could be afterwards ascertained, 
about one thousand men, and was commanded by Colonel John But- 
ler, an officer of the British army, and an Indian chief called Brandt. 
They were apparently unapprised of the movements of the Ameri- 
cans, until the return to the main body of those Indians who had 
been fired upon. They immediately extended themselves in a line 



OPERATIONS IN WYOMING. 



429 




Brandt. 



from the fort, across a plain covered with pine trees and underbrush. 
When formed, the right of the enemy rested on a swamp, and their 
left on Fort Wintermote. The Americans marched to the attack, 
also in a line, Colonel Zebulon Butler leading on the right wing, 
opposed by Colonel John Butler, at the head of the British troops, 
painted to resemble Indians ; Colonel Denison was on the left, and 
opposed by Brandt and the Indians. In this position, the parties 
engaged, and each supported its ground for some time with much 
firmness. At length the Americans on the right had the advantage 
of the fight, having forced the enemy's left wing to retire some dis- 
tance. But on the left the battle soon wore a different aspect. The 
Indians, having penetrated the swamp, were discovered attempting 
to get into their rear. Colonel Denison immediately gave orders 
for the left to fall back and meet them as they came out of the 
swamp. This order was misunderstood, and some of the men or offi- 
cers cried out, "the colonel orders a retreat." The left immediately 
gave way, and before they could be undeceived as to the object of 
the order, the line broke, and the Indians rushed on with hideous 
yells. Colonel Zebulon Butler, who had continued on horseback 
throughout the day, finding that, the right wing was doing well, rode 
towards the left. When he got a little more than half-way down 
the line, he discovered that his men were retreating, and that he was 



i30 



ZEBULON BUTLER. 



between the two fires, and near the advancing line of the enemv. 
The right had no notice of the retreat, until the firing on the left 
had ceased, and the yelling of the savages indicated their success. 
This wing, no longer able to maintain its ground, was forced to 
retreat, and the rout soon became general. The officers were prin- 
cipally killed in their ineffectual attempts to rally the men. The 
defeat was total, and the loss in killed was variously estimated at 
from two to three hundred of the settlers. Of Captain Hewitt's com- 
pany but fifteen escaped. The loss of the enemy was also consider- 
able. Colonels Butler and Denison, although much exposed to the 
enemy's fire, escaped. Colonel Butler colilected four or five men 
together in their flight, directed them to retain their arms, and when 
any of the Indians, who were scattered over the plain, hunting for 
their victims, approached the little party, they fired upon them, and 
by this means they secured their retreat to Forty fort. Many of the 
settlers, at the commencement of their flight, had thrown away their 
arms, that they might be better able to escape. But this was of no 
avail, for the Indians overtook and killed them with their tomahawks. 

HE few that escaped, assembled at Forty 
fort ; but the inhabitants were so much 
disheartened by their defeat, that they 
were ready to submit upon any terms 
that might be offered. The enemy re- 
fused to treat with Colonel Butler, or to 
give quarter to any continental officer or 
soldier. Indeed, it had been determined, 
if they were taken, to deliver them 
into the hands of the Indians. Colonel 
Butler then left the valley, and proceeded 
to a place on the Lehigh, called Gnaden- 
hutten. On the fourth of July, Colonel Denison and Colonel John 
Butler entered into articles of capitulation for the surrender of the 
settlement. By these articles it was stipulated, among other things, 
that " the lives of the inhabitants should be preserved," and that they 
should " occupy their farms peaceably ;" that " the continental stores 
should be given up," and that " the private property of the inhabit- 
ants should be preserved entire and unhurt." The enemy then 
marched into the fort ; but the conditions of the capitulation were 
entirely disregarded on their part. The Indians plundered the 
inhabitants indiscriminately, and stripped them even of such of their 
wearing apparel as they chose to take. Complaint was made to 
Colonel John Butler, who turned his back upon them, saying he 
could not control the Indians, and walked out of the fort. The 




OPERATIONS IN WYOMING. 



431 



people, finding that they were left to the mercy of the tories and 
savages, fled from the valley, and made the best of their way, about 
fifty miles, through the wilderness, to the nearest settlement of their 
friends, leaving their property a prey to the enemy. All the houses 
on the north-west side of the Susquehanna were plundered and burnt. 
They afterwards plundered and burnt the town of Wilkesbarre. 
Having accomplished their hellish purpose of destruction and desola- 
tion, the main body of the enemy returned to Niagara, taking with 
them all the horses, cattle, and other property which they did not 
think proper to destroy, leaving behind them nothing but one vast, 
melancholy scene of universal desolation. 

It may be proper to notice the generally received opinion, that 
Colonel Zebulon Butler and Colonel John Butler were cousins. This 
is a mistake. Both the parties denied having any knowledge of any 
relationship subsisting between them. 

From Gnadenhutten, Colonel Butler wrote to the board of war, 
giving an account of the fatal disaster of the third of July. He then 
went to Stroudsburg, in Northampton county, where he found Cap- 
tain Spalding's company, and some fugitives from Wyoming. Colo- 
nel Butler was ordered to collect what force he could, and with 
Spalding's company return and retake possession of the country. This 
he did in the month of August following. On his return to the valley, 
he found some straggling Indians, and also a small party driving off 
cattle. These were soon dispersed, and their booty taken from them. 
He immediately erected a fort at Wilkesbarre, and established a 
garrison. By orders from the board of war, he continued in the com- 
mand of the place until the fall of 1780, during which time the 
garrison and the inhabitants generally suffered from the incursions 
of the Indians. Several lives were lost, and they killed a number 
of the Indians, though no general battle was fought. General Sulli- 
van's expedition checked for a while their ravages. He arrived in 
Wyoming in the spring of 1779, and as soon as proper arrangements 
could be made, he marched into the country of the Indians, leaving 
Colonel Butler in the command of Wyoming. 

By orders from General Washington, dated, " Head-Quarters, 
New Windsor, December 29th, 1780," Colonel Butler was directed 
to deliver the post at Wyoming to Captain Alexander Mitchell, and 
to march with the men under his command and join the army. This 
was stated by General Washington to be in consequence of " Con- 
gress having, in order to remove all cause of jealousy and discontent 
between the states of Pennsylvania and Connecticut, directed me to 
withdraw the present garrison of Wyoming, and replace them with 
troops from the continental army, not belonging to the line of Penn- 



432 



ZE BULON BUTLER. 



sylvania or Connecticut, or citizens of either of said states." In 
obedience to these orders, he repaired to head-quarters, and remained 
with the army during the rest of the war. 

In the unhappy dispute between the citizens of Connecticut and 
Pennsylvania, arising out of the claims which the latter advanced to 
the lands on the Susquehanna, upon which the former had settled, 
Colonel Butler took an active part in favor of the Connecticut set- 
tlers. He considered them as acting on the defensive, and the 
others as the aggressors. Open hostilities commenced between the 
parties as early as 1769, and were continued until after the revolu- 
tionary war. The New England people were twice driven from their 
settlements, though they returned immediately with reinforcements, 
and repossessed themselves of the country. Many lives were lost 
on both sides, and innumerable hardships endured, during this unfor- 
tunate contest. No very general engagement ever took place between 
the parties. The principal array of forces which was at any time 
made against each other, was at the defeat of Captain Plunket, in 
1775. This officer had marched from Northumberland, for the pur- 
pose of dispossessing the settlers at Wyoming, and taking possession 
of it themselves in the name of the Pennsylvania claimants. Colonel 
Butler with a party of settlers met them at the lower end of the 
valley, defeated them, and drove them back. The decree of Tren- 
ton, as it is called, put an end to hostilities, by determining, that the 
jurisdiction of the state of Pennsylvania extended over the disputed 
territory. To this determination Colonel Butler, with most of the 
settlers, yielded. After the war he continued to reside at Wyoming, 
and received appointments under the state of Pennsylvania, particu- 
larly the situation of lieutenant of the county. He died at Wilkes- 
barre, on the 28th of July, 1795, in the sixty-fourth year of his age. 





BRIGADIER GENERAL ANTHONY WALTON WHITE. 



NTHONY W. WHITE, 
sprang from an ancient 
and honorable family, re- 
sident, previously to 1650, 
in the west of England, 



ilW which through six successive genera- 
JrSV- tions of its existence on this continent, 
was notable for its attachment to mili- 
> N )' tary life. Anthony White, the first 
teMj^g^: ancestor of the name that came from 
^>i^^^^^^^^^^ffS^^ England, was a zealous officer in the 
royalist army, who distinguished himself sufficiently in the civil wars 
to win the approbation of his unfortunate master, equally with the 
dislike of the Roundheads. Shortly after the execution of Charles, 
still faithful to his house, and more and more digusted with the 
political aspect of the times, having secured by some means or 
other the remnant of a large fortune, he sailed, originally with 
the intention of settling in Virginia ; the vessel, however, stopping 
at the Bermuda Islands he there became fixed, and subatquently, 




28 



433 




■William m. 

intimately connected with the government of those islands. Upon 
the restoration, he was appointed a member of King's council, and 
chief of one of the groups, an office which appears to have been 
hereditary, as it was attached to the elder branch of the family for 
several generations. At the commencement of the political differ- 
ences which resulted in the establishment of the Prince of Orange 
as William III. of England, and his wife upon the throne, Anthony 
White, the second of the name, inheriting his father's military, but 
not his political predilections, became an active partisan of the 
whigs, and being appointed a lieutenant-colonel, served with the 
army in Ireland, till hostilities terminated in the battle of the Boyne. 
As a reward for his services, he was shortly afterwards sent out to 
his native islands, as a member of the king's council in their govern- 
ment, and as chief justice of the whole group. He was succeeded as 
chief of one of the groups by his eldest son, Leonard White, who, 
with the hereditary thirst still unquenched, had obtained in the 
early part of his life, a commission in the British navy, and served 
with honorable distinction in the wars of the succession. Anthony 



WHITE ENTERS THE ARMY. 435 

White, the eldest son of of Leonard White, in extreme youth, about 
1715, sailed for New York, for the purpose of recruiting his health, 
by the change of climate. After a year's residence there, he married 
into a distinguished family of Dutch descent, and his health again be- 
coming delicate, he soon after sailed for home, and died on the 
passage out. His widow, as if to restore the broken military suc- 
cession, married an officer of distinction in the British navy, and the 
son and only child, after having amassed a large fortune by various 
civil offices in the state of New Jersey, obtained through the influ- 
ence of his family, and farmed out to great advantage, at last took 
up the profession of arms. He was commissioned a lieutenant- 
colonel, in 1751, and saw some service in the French and Indian 
war which followed. Upon the occurrence of the events which im- 
mediately preceded the declaration of independence, being advanced 
in years, he retired altogether from public life, but beheld with pride 
and satisfaction his only son select that party whose principles had 
already infected all the chivalry of the country. 

Anthony Walton White, the sixth of the name, and the last repre- 
sentative of the family in America, was the fourth child, and only 
son of Anthony White, and Elizabeth Morris, — daughter of Governor 
Lewis Morris, — and was born on the 7th July, 1750, at his father's 
country seat, near New Brunswick, New Jersey, taking the names of 
his father, and his relative, and godfather, Mr. William Walton of 
New York. Of his early life, there are no records to show him 
the hero of romantic adventures, and the possessor of the martial 
spirit of his family. The only son of a family eminently in the pa- 
tronage of the government, and educated under the supervision of 
his father, with the expectation of inheriting large estates, he was 
intended for no particular profession or occupation, other than that 
pertaining to a large landholder, in a young country half wilder- 
ness, as yet, and in times, when the mutterings of political difficul- 
ties were first becoming audible, though, in 1761, at the early age 
of eleven, we find him with the insatiable cupidity characteristic of 
the servants of a monarchy, in possession of several important and 
lucrative offices, farmed in like manner as those of his father, and no 
doubt with equal benefit. Without any event to distinguish his life, he 
remained thus, the nominal holder of these offices, quietly pursuing 
his studies with his father, and assisting him in the care of his estate, 
till the outbreak of the memorable Revolution, when an ardent dis- 
position, and a sincere love of country, induced him to seek adventure 
in the martial service of his native land. In October, 1775, he re- 
ceived his first military appointment, as aid to General Washington, 
in whose military family, first hearing the din of war, he continued 



436 ANTHONY W. WHITE. 

till commissioned by Congress, in February, 1776, a lieutenant- 
colonel of the third battalion of New Jersey troops, and as commander 
of the outposts of the army under Washington, was actively engaged 
in the service at the north, till 1780. In February of that year, he 
was appointed lieutenant-colonel commandant of the first regiment of 
cavalry, and shortly afterward, was ordered by General Washington 
to the south, to take command of all the cavalry in the southern 
army. In July, of 1780, having been repeatedly urged by General 
Gates to hasten the equipment of the cavalry, and with all despatch 
to join the army, then about marching to meet Cornvvallis in South 
Carolina, despairing of assistance from the government of Virginia, 
which had passed resolutions for the purpose, but was unable at 
that time to carry them into effect, Colonel White, actuated with an 
honorable zeal for the service, procured upon his own personal credit, 
the funds necessary to remount and support for a short time two 
regiments, with which he marched to join General Gates, but not in 
time for the unfortunate battle of the 16th of August, at Camden, 
lost from a want of calvary. Early in the spring of 1781, Colonel 
White was ordered to Virginia, again to co-operate with the army 
under La Fayette, against Comwallis, and was engaged in skirmish- 
ing with various success against the celebrated Colonel Tarleton, 
until the junction of the army under General Washington, from the 
north, with that under La Fayette, and the capture of Comwallis at 
Yorktown. 

In December following, Colonel White, with his command, again 
marched southward to the Carolinas, where he was employed for 
some months in watching, and endeavoring to check the operations 
of his old friend, though enemy, Colonel Tarleton. From thence he 
proceeded to Georgia, where he contributed largely, by the boldness 
of his charge, with a part of the cavalry, in effecting a happy result 
to the manosuvre of General Wayne, on the 21st of May, 1782, 
before Savannah. Upon the evacuation of that place by the British 
forces, he returned to South Carolina, and entered Charleston, imme- 
diately after the retirement of the enemy, where the generosity that 
distinguished him was again exemplified, by his becoming security 
for the payment of debts incurred by the officers and men of his 
regiments, who had entered the city in want of almost all the neces- 
saries of life. By agreements between himself and his officers and 
men, he was to be protected from ultimate loss, by payments in 
tobacco — which seems to have been the only sustained currency of 
the times, — contracted to be delivered to him at Charleston, on a 
certain distant day. Owing to the failure of the crops of that year, 
or to the inability of the officers to fulfil their contracts, Colonel 



MARRIAGE OF WHITE. 



437 




"White was obliged, for the satisfaction of his creditors, to part with 
property at the enormous sacrifices peculiar to that period. With 
this transaction commenced a series of unfortunate pecuniar}' diffi- 
culties, which at last reduced him from, wealth, to dependency upon 
the precarious charity of his country. 

N the spring of 1783, Colonel White, while 
still in Charleston, was married to the 
young, beautiful, and wealthy Margaret 
Ellis, of that place, who, at the early age 
of fifteen, brought up in the terrible school 
of a city held by a foreign and mercenary 
enemy, exhibited the accomplished mind, 
and firmness of temper, which still charac- 
terize and sustain her, in the sunken fortune 
of her old age. 

Tn the spring of 1784, after the full establishment of peace, Colo- 
nel White with his family came north, to spend in retirement the 
remainder of a life, upon which fortune had, with a few trifling 
exceptions as yet, shed only a pleasant light. Unhappily for his 
expectations, he, about this time, was persuaded to embark in a 
speculation proposed by two of his friends, late officers in the army, 
in which he was to furnish only the trifling items of name and funds, 
and in return, to receive the undoubtedly splendid dividends from the 
adventure. The active members in the association, in the three 
years of its operations, succeeded only in the accumulation of enor- 
mous debts, which he, as the only responsible party, was obliged to 
satisfy. Ignorant of all manner of business, liberal to extravagance, 
and careless in his general style of living, he beheld with consterna- 
tion, creditors of whom he had never before heard, like the Shylocks 
of reality, demand of him what, to a man of like constitutional 
habits, was life itself. In satisfying them he utterly sunk his own 
estates, to which, by the death of his father, he had but just suc- 
ceeded. 

In 1793, he removed from New York Island, where he had resided 
since the war, to the city of New Brunswick, in his native state, 
where he remained during the rest of his life, holding several 
important offices, together with the rank of adjutant, and afterward 
brigadier-general conferred upon him by the state. 

In 1794, he entered again for a short time, upon military life, 
being appointed by President Washington, general of cavalry in the 
expedition under Lee, against the western insurgents, in the delicate 
management of which, he won not only unqualified approbation of 
the government, and the esteem of the inhabitants of the district 



438 



ANTHONY W. WHITE. 



in which the army was quartered, but also the respect and gratitude 
of the prisoners, whom upon the close of the expedition he conducted 
to Philadelphia. 

For several years after his last active military employment, General 
White lived in peaceful seclusion at his home in the city of New 
Brunswick, dividing his time between his books, and the fascinating 
and accomplished society around him, of which Governor Paterson, 
;,nd Colonel John Bayard, of Delaware, his brothers-in-law, his guest 
and friend the celebrated Kosciusko, and Judge Morris, of New 
Jersey, formed the most notable ornaments. 

But misfortune still pursued him, and unseen and unanticipated, 
came upon him with that greater terribleness, which in ancient 
unchristian times would have been attributed to the malignancy of 
some impropriated deity. The fortune of his wife, which even the 
depreciation of the currency, and the insolvency of the states, 
had still left great, was almost completely wrecked by the cupidity 
and improvidence of a man, alike distinguished in public and private 
life, and in whom a confidence had been reposed, deserving of a 
better return. BrokenJn spirit, health, and fortune, General White, 
shortly after this occurrence, thought he saw an angel of comfort 
lovingly approach him, when he meditated upon the gratitude of 
republics. Impressed with the justice of his claims and the neces- 
sity of his circumstances, he petitioned Congress for the repayment 
of the monev he had expended in 1780, for the support of his regi- 
ments, and which in the settlement of his accounts with the state of 
Virginia, had not been allowed for want of full legal evidence. In 
consequence of the confusion of the times, this had unfortunately 
been lost. After frequently raising his hopes, and as often depress- 
ing them, Congress at last resolved that the government was adverse 
to all claims of revolutionary officers just or otherwise. 

Baffled in his expectations of relief, and now well instructed in the 
great truth, that on earth, belief in the attainment of justice, was as 
often visionary as many a dream of youth, and broken-hearted by 
this striking exemplificiftion of the neglect and ingratitude of repub- 
lics, for those who serve them, General White shortly after died, 
at the early age of fifty-three, leaving to his widow and daughter, 
the same comfortable reflections, that hastened, prematurely, his 
own decease. 

In person, General White was tall and elegantly formed, and was 
remarkable for the extreme regularity of his features, and the fine 
expression of his face, the dignity and grace of his manner, the scru- 
pulous attention to his dress, which distinguished the gentleman of 
his time, and for the excellence of his horsemanship. Early com- 



CHARACTER OF GENERAL WHITE. 



439 



misioned in the cavalry service, he soon became, perhaps, the most 
accomplished and effective rider, and the best master of horse in the. 
army, and through life retained the soldierly bearing for which he 
was noted during his military career. 

The character of General White, briefly, might be recorded by 
those two words, with which the poet, in bis elevated ideas of 
humanity, well described the noblest work of God. He was gay, 
without approaching licentiousness ; a man of the world, without 
hypocrisy or degradation of the affections, ardent and impetuous to 
rashness, hospitable to extravagance, possessing the spirit of chivalry 
without its Quixotism, vain and proud in the contemplation of his 
own rectitude, yet never offending the self-love of others, generous 
and charitable, while forgetful of his own interests. A patriot, with- 
out thought of reward or distinction, practising the principles of 
Christianity, without displaying them by moroseness, bigotry, or 
pharisaical ostentation, and to the time of his death, eminently 
maintaining with integrity the public and private relations of life, 
in which destiny had placed him. Born a favorite child of fortune, 
while such, he possessed, and exercised, and rejoiced in all the bril- 
liant and fascinating qualities, with which men shine in society, and 
when in later years he saw wealth, and with it its eclat, take to itself 
wings, though dismayed and despondent, still he faltered not in the 
principles that had characterized his life, but wrapping about him 
the robe of patient endurance, like the stern old Roman, died with 
the grace that became one who could not with dignity complain. 




n 






BRIGADIER GENERAL JONATHAN WILLIAMS. 




ONATHAN WILLIAMS was bom in Boston, 
in the year 1750, and from his childhood, he 
received the best English education, which the 
opportunities of that place then afforded. In- 
tended for the profession of his father, who 
was largely engaged in commercial affairs, 
Jonathan was early taken from school and 
placed in the counting-house. Desirous of im- 
proving himself, he devoted his evenings and other leisure moments 
to the acquirement of knowledge ; by this means he gained con : 
siderable proficiency in the classics, and a ready and familiar 
acquaintance with the French language, both in speaking and writing 
it. His being engaged in commercial pursuits, enabled him to make 
a number of voyages to many of the West India Islands, and to 
various parts of Europe. His letters of business from these places 
displayed much maturity of observation and judgment. In the year 

1770, he made his first voyage to England, in company with his 
440 



HE VISITS FRANCE. 



441 



brother and an uncle, Mr. John Williams, who had been a local com- 
missioner under the British government. On his arrival in London, 
he was received with great kindness by his grand-uncle, Dr. Franklin, 
who insisted upon his making his residence his home, during his 
stay in England. Mr. Williams remained about a year in England, 
during which time he travelled through a considerable part of it. 
In 1772, he again went to England. In consequence of his relation- 
ship with Dr. Franklin, he was in his various voyages intrusted with 
letters and communications on the then engrossing subject of the 
political relations between England and America ; by this means he 
became acquainted with the most prominent men of that day, and 
though then very young in mental cultivation and resources, he was 
their -fit companion. 

In a letter written in September, 1774, from England, to his 
father, he says : " With regard to politics, nothing has occurred, nor 
do I think any thing will happen till the parliament sits, when I dare 
say there will be warm work, and I have great hope that American 
affairs will wear a better aspect ; for the ministry, I have reason to 
think, will find a greater opposition than they expect. 

"IJnanimity and firmness must gain the point. I can't help repeat- 
ing it, though I believe I have written it twenty times before. The 
newspapers which used to be the vehicles of all kinds of abuse on 
the poor Bostonians, are nowfull of pieces in our favor. Here and 
there an impertinent scribbler, like an expiring candle flashing from 
the socket, shows, by his scurrility, the weakness of his cause, and 
the corruptness of his heart." 

Tn 1775, he made a short visit to France, of which, in one of his 
letters, he thus speaks : " I have passed two months in the most 
agreeable manner possible, except with regard to my reflections rela- 
tive to my unhappy country, which always attend me wherever I go. 
I found throughout France a general attention to our disputes with 
Britain, and to a man, all that country are in our favor. They sup- 
pose England to have arrived at its pinnacle of glory, and that the 
empire of America will rise on the ruins of this kingdom ; and I 
really believe, that when we shall be involved in civil war, they will 
gladly embrace the first opportunity of renewing their attacks on an 
old enemy, who they imagine will be so weakened by its intestine 
broils, as to become an easy conquest." 

The early destiny of Mr. Williams separated him from the country 
to which he afterwards lived to devote years of usefulness and good 
example. In 1777, he was appointed commercial agent of the 
United States, and resided principally at Nantes. In September, 
1779, he was married, at the hotel of the Dutch ambassador at 



442 



JONATHAN WILLIAMS. 



Paris, to Mariamne, the daughter of William Alexander, of Edin- 
burgh. In 1783, he received a commission from the Farmers General 
of France, to supply them with tobacco, which was then, as it now is, 
a government monopoly. After this appointment, he removed to St. 
Germains, where he resided until 1785, when he returned with Dr. 
Franklin to the United States. In 1788, he sailed for the last time 
to England, for the purpose of bringing his family to Philadelphia, 
which he had selected as the place of his future residence. On his 
return, in 1790, he was met with the melancholy news of the death 
of his earliest, best, and kindest friend, Dr. Franklin. Mr. Williams 
purchased a country seat on the banks of the Schuylkill, near Phila- 
delphia, where he devoted his attention to mathematical investigation, 
botany, medicine, and the law, and he acquired sufficient of the last, 
to be for several years an intelligent and valuable judge of the court 
of common pleas in Philadelphia. 

In 17 94, he accompanied the forces sent to quell the western 
insurrection in Pennsylvania. In 1800, he was appointed a major 
in the United States artillery, and soon after a colonel in the corps 
of engineers, and chief of the military academy at West Point. The 
fortress at New York which bears his name, was constructed whilst 
he was in the engineer department. It is, however, as the head of 
the military academy, that he rendered the most service to his coun- 
try. Under his direction, the institution steadily advanced in charac- 
ter, and all who were acquainted with its regulations and discipline, 
acknowledged its advantages. But it was not until the heroic deeds 

o o 

of M'Rae, Gibson, Wood, and Macomb had so largely contributed to 
an honorable peace, in the war of 1812, that the military school 
became a source of interest and pride with the nation. These accom- 
plished and intrepid officers were first taught to be thorough soldiers 
by Colonel Williams. 

Colonel Williams, prevented by his peculiar station from sharing 
the duties of the field, had obtained a promise, that in case of attack, 
the fortifications he had constructed in the harbor of New York should 
be placed under his command. At the near prospect that the enemy 
would invade the city, he claimed the fulfilment of that promise, 
which was refused him ; and after a protracted correspondence with 
the war department, upon the subject, he resigned his commission in 
the army of the United States. Immediately after his resignation 
he was appointed by the governor of New York a brigadier-general. 

In the autumn of 1814, he was elected a member of Congress 
from the city of Philadelphia. But he did not live to requite by his 
abilities and experience, the confidence of his fellow citizens. 

On the 20th of May, 1815, his useful life terminated. Although 



HIS DEATH. 



443 



he had attained his sixty-fifth year, his mind had lost none of its 
peculiar endowments ; nor had his body yielded to the decrepitude 
of old age. Had he been permitted to take his seat in the highest 
council of his country, he might have added to his honors, and won 
a statesman's fame. But the hand of an all-wise Providence had 
determined otherwise, and by his touch consecrated the memory of 
the useful citizen, the firm patriot, and the accomplished soldier. 





COLONEL FRANCIS BARBER. 





OLONEL BARBER was 
born in the year 1751, in 
Princeton, New Jersey, 
where he was educated. 
After leaving Princeton Col- 
lege he took charge of the academy 
at Elizabethtown, New Jersey, which 
soon became celebrated for the high 
state of perfection to which he brought 
it. While he was thus employed, 
Alexander Hamilton, and several 
others of those who afterwards became 
distinguished in public affairs, received the benefits of his instruction. 
The necessities of the country, induced Francis to abandon his 
peaceful occupation, and he entered the army at an early period. 
He and his brother William were officers in the Jersey line ; his 
brother John held a command in the New York line. During the 
year 1776, Francis received two commissions, one from Congress, 
dated the ninth of February, appointing him major of the third bat- 
talion of Jersey troops ; the other, which bore date the eighth of 
November, was from the t New Jersey legislature, appointing him 
lieutenant-colonel of the third Jersey regiment. This appointment 
was confirmed by Congress in the commencement of the following 
444 



DEATH OF COLONEL BARBER. 445 

year, and soon after, Colonel Barber became assistant inspector-gene- 
ral of the army, under Baron Steuben. The Baron addressed a letter 
to him at the time, in which he anticipates, from the character of 
Colonel Barber, a rapid advance in the character of the troops under 
his inspection. That his expectations were realized, may be inferred 
from the high estimation in which Colonel Barber was held by the 
commander-in-chief and other general officers. The rigidness of his 
discipline, however, did not make Colonel Barber unpopular with the 
men. He was engaged in the battles of Trenton, Princeton, Brandy- 
wine, Germantown, and Monmouth. In this latter conflict, he was 
severely wounded, yet the correspondence of General Washington 
shows that his disability from field service did not prevent him from 
employing his active mind in the service of the cause. In 1779, as 
adjutant-general, he served under General Sullivan, in his Indian 
campaign, and received a wound at the battle of Newtown. He 
was very highly complimented by General Sullivan at the close of 
the campaign, for his meritorious conduct. He was actively engaged 
at the battle of Springfield, where his brother-in-law, Lieutenant 
Ogden, was slain. 

To Colonel Barber was assigned the difficult task of reducing to 
subordination the Jersey line, at the time of its mutiny. In the face 
of their threat to shoot any officer who should molest them, Colonel 
Barber entered upon the execution of this duty, and his personal 
popularity had the influence of restraining many of the mutinous, 
and of preparing the way for the final success of General Washing- 
ton's measures to restore order. 

In 1781, Colonel Barber accompanied the army to Yorktown, and 
was present at its siege and capture. The termination of the war 
soon followed, but on the day when General Washington intended 
to communicate to the officers the news of peace, the life of Colonel 
Barber was brought to a sudden close. Many of the officers, and 
such of their wives as were in camp, were invited to dine with the 
commander-in-chief, and anions; them Colonel Barber and his wife. 
He was acting as officer of the day at the time, and in the perform- 
ance of his duty, happened to pass a place where some soldiers were 
felling a tree, which accidentally fell upon him, crushing horse and 
rider instantly to death. His seeming untimely fate was universally 
lamented, and his widow received letters of sympathy and condolence 
from many in every rank, who knew his virtues and deplored his loss 





BRIGADIER GENERAL THADDEUS KOSCIUSKO. 



HE American revolutionary contest 
is memorable, for having called into 
its service the aid of many distin- 
guished foreigners, soldiers of liberty, and 
volunteers in the cause of an oppressed 
people, struggling to defend their liberties. 
Among the most celebrated of these, was 
gjjSf Kosciusko, one of the first and bravest of the 
«^i\W P°'' sn patriots. Although it does not appear 
that he performed much, or any very impor- 
tant service, in the American war, yet from his distinguished cha- 
446 




HIS SERVICE IN POLAND. 



447 




racter as a patriot, and the noble struggles he has made, in defence 
of the independence of his own country, and to realize the last 
hopes of his friends, a sketch of his life cannot but be interesting, 
and properly belongs to a work containing the memoirs of the mili- 
tary heroes of the American revolutionary war. This high-minded 
patriot was first distinguished in the war which terminated in the 
first dismemberment of Poland by Russia, Austria, and Prussia. 

Poland had long been distracted 
with dissensions, often breaking out 
into civil war ; and particularly since 
the conquest of the country by Charles 
XII. of Sweden, which led to the in- 
terference of Russia, and afterward 
that dangerous neighbor always had a 
strong party in Poland, and generally 
a controlling influence. Charles XII. 
conquered Augustus, and compelled 
him to abdicate in favor of Stanislaus 
Leczinski, whom he had previously 
.caused to be elected king. The armies 
of the Czar, which Augustus had 
Charles xil availed himself of, had not been suffi- 

cient to save him from this humiliating result. The battle of Pul- 
towa overthrew the power of Charles ; and Augustus was restored by 
the aid of Russia, the latter taking care to be well paid for its 
friendly interference. During the reign of this prince, and his son, 
Augustus II., Poland was little better than a Russian province, sur- 
rounded by Russian troops ; and the country torn to pieces by 
contentions among the nobles, they were kept on the throne only by 
the power of Russia. 

On the death of Augustus II. in 1764, Catharine II. Empress of 
Russia, compelled the Diet to elect Stanislaus Poniatowski, a Pole 
of noble rank, who had resided for some time at Petersburgh, and 
made himself agreeable to the empress, who supposed that his 
election would promote the influence and designs of Russia. This 
increased the disorders, and inflamed the rage of the two great 
parties, the Russian and anti-Russian, towards each other. At this 
time, to their political causes of dissension, were added those of 
religion. The Protestants, who in Poland were called dissidents, 
had long been tolerated, but still suffered under many civil disabili- 
ties, which were greatly increased by a decree that was passed 
during the interregnum that preceded the election of Poniatowski. 
They were, in a great measure, denied the free exercise of religious 



448 



THADDEUS KOSCIUSKO. 




Catharine IL 



worship, and excluded from all political privileges. This unjust and 
impolitic measure roused the spirit of the protestants; they peti- 
tioned and remonstrated ; they applied to the courts of Russia, 
Prussia, Great Britain, and Denmark, all of which remonstrated to 
the government of Poland, but without any essential effect. Some 
unimportant concessions were, made, which did not satisfy the dissi- 
dents, who were determined to maintain their rights with their blood, 
being encouraged to this determination by assurance of support from 
Russia, Austria, and Prussia. The Catholics were not behind their 
opponents in preparations for war, the " Confederation of the Barr" 
formed the bulwark of their strength and hopes. With both parties, 
religion and liberty became the watchword and a signal for war. 
The confederates, as the Catholics were denominated, not only wished 
to overcome their opponents, but to dethrone Stanislaus, and rescue 
the country from the influence of Russia. This desperate civil war 
was very gratifying to the ambitious neighbors of Poland, who, a 
considerable time before, had entered into a secret treaty for the 
conquest and partition of Poland. The armies of Russia, Prussia, 
and Austria invaded the country in various directions, and seized on 
different provinces. 

The confederates, or the anti-Russian party, comprising most of 
the distinguished Polish patriots, made a resolute and determined 
struggle ; but, being feebly supported by Saxony and France, and 
having to contend with numerous forces of the coalition which invaded 
the country, as well as those of their opponents at home, they were 



PARTITION OF POLAND. 



449 



defeated in every quarter, and the country left a prey to the three 
royal plunderers. They issued a manifesto, declaring- that the dis- 
sensions and disorders of Poland had rendered their interference 
necessary, and that they had adopted combined measures for the re- 
establishment of good order in Poland, and the settlement of its ancient 
constitution, and to secure the national and popular liberties of the 
people on a solid basis. But the security and protection which thev 
afforded to unhappy Poland, was like that which the wolf affords to 
the lamb, and the tears they shed over her misfortunes, were like 
those of the crocodile when preying on its victim. Instead of secur- 
ing the right of the dissidents, which was the professed object of 
the war, the combined sovereigns thought only of aggrandizing them- 
selves ; and, after great difficulty, they finally succeeded in dividing 
the spoil, a treaty for the partition of Poland being concluded at 
Petersburg, in February, 1772. Russia took a large proportion of 
the eastern provinces ; Austria appropriated to herself a fertile tract 
on the southwest, and Prussia the commercial district in the north- 
west, including the lower part of Vistula ; leaving only the central 
provinces, comprising Warsaw and Cracow, the modern and ancient 
capital. Thus was Poland despoiled by three royal robbers, which 
Europe witnessed, not without astonishment, but without any effectual 
interference. The courts of London, Paris, Stockholm, and Copen- 
hagen, remonstrated against this violent usurpation, which probably 
had as much effect as was expected — none at all. 

|N this unjust and cruel war, Kosciusko had taken 
an active and zealous part in defence of the in- 
dependence of his country : but his patriotism and 
exertions were unavailing ; the patriotic Poles could 
not resist the power of faction and the invading 
armies of three formidable neighbors. To strengthen 
their acquisitions, the allied powers insisted on Sta- 
nislaus convoking a diet to sanction the partition ; 
and, notwithstanding the influence of three power- 
ful armies, the diet refused to ratify this injustice 
for a considerable time ; but, by promises of favors, and by profuse 
use of money among the members, together with the influence of 
military force, a majority of six in the senate, and of one in the 
assembly, was at length obtained in favor of the iniquitous measure, 
and commissioners were appointed to adjust the terms of the parti- 
tion. This completed the humiliation and degradation of Poland, 
and occasioned many of her most distinguished patriots to leave 
their dismembered and unhappy country. This took place in May, 
1773. Kosciusko was among those who retired from the country. 

29 




450 TIIADDEUS KOSCIUSKO. 

The war that broke out between the American colonies and Great 
Britain, opened a field for military adventurers from Europe, it being 
supposed that America was destitute of men of military science and 
experience, and being justly regarded as a contest for liberty, between 
an infant people, few in number, and with feeble means, and the 
most powerful nation on earth, many patriots of> the old world 
repaired to America as volunteers in the cause of freedom. The 
first events and successes of the contest, and the dignified attitude 
assumed by the solemn declaration of independence, produced the 
most favorable impression abroad, which brought many distinguished 
foreigners to our shores in the early part of the year 1777. The 
distinguished Polish patriot, who is the subject of this brief notice, 
and his countryman, Count Pulaski, were among the number. It is 
not known at what time either of them arrived, but it is believed it 
was early in the year 1777, as the latter was present and distin- 
guished himself in the battle of Brandywine. So many foreigners 
of distinction arrived, that Congress was embarrassed in giving them 
employment, corresponding with their expectations and rank ; and, 
from the commissions which were given to foreigners, disagreeable 
jealousies were produced among the native officers of the continental 
army. Kosciusko, like the Marquis de La Fayette and others, had been 
influenced wholly by patriotic motives and an ardent attachment to 
liberty ; he had no occasion to acquire military fame, and he pos- 
sessed a soul which raised him infinitely above becoming a mer- 
cenary soldier. He wanted neither rank nor emolument ; his object 
was to serve the cause, not to serve himself. He however received 
a colonel's commission, and was employed under General Greene, in 
the southern campaign of 178 1. In the attack on Ninety-Six, a very 
strong post of the enemy in South Carolina, Kosciusko being a skil- 
ful engineer, Greene intrusted to him the important duty of preparing 
and constructing the works for the siege. He continued in the ser- 
vice until after the capture of Cornwallis at Yorktown, which termi- 
nated all the important operations of the war. 

On leaving America, Kosciusko returned to his native country, 
where he exerted himself for the improvement of the political con- 
dition of his countrymen, and promoting the general prosperity. In 
1789, he was made major-general in the Polish army. He served 
with distinction in the campaign of 1792 against the Russians, but 
king Stanislaus having soon after submitted to the will of the Empress 
Catharine, and Poland being occupied by Russian troops, Kosciusko 
with several other officers left the service, and withdrew to Germany. 
When the revolution broke out in Poland, at the beginning of 1794, 
Kosciusko was put at the head of the national forces, which were 



Kosciusko's defence of Poland. 



451 




Kosciusko wounded 



hastily assembled, and in a great measure were destitute of arms and 
artillery. In April, 1794, he defeated a numerically superior Rus- 
sian force at Raclawice. Again in the month of June, he attacked 
the united Russians and Prussians near Warsaw, but was defeated, 
and obliged to retire into his intrenched camp before the capital. He 
then defended that city for two months against the combined forces 
of Russia and Prussia, and obliged them to raise the siege. Fresh 
Russian armies, however, having advanced from the interior under 
Suwarrow and Fersen, Kosciusko marched against them with twenty- 
one thousand men. The Russians were nearly three times the num- 
ber, and on the 10th of October the battle of Macziewice took place, 
about fifty miles from Warsaw. After a desperate struggle the Poles 
were routed, and Kosciusko being wounded, was taken prisoner, ex- 
claiming that there was an end of Poland. The storming of Praga 
by Suwarrow, and the capitulation of Warsaw soon followed. 
Kosciusko was taken to St. Petersburg as a state prisoner, but being 
afterwards released by the emperor Paul, he proceeded to Lon- 
don. He was here treated with great consideration, on account of 
his eminent services and sufferings in the cause of his country 
While residing in London, he was still suffering with wounds which 
he had received in his last battle with the Russians. His portrait 
was painted several times, reclining upon a sofa, as in the accom- 
panying engraving; once we believe by Mr. West. After residing 
some time in London, he returned to America, where he was received 
as the illustrious defenders of our country are always received, with 
every mark of distinction. 



452 



THADDEtTS KOSCIUSKO. 



He went to France in 1798. Napoleon repeatedly endeavored to 
engage Kosciusko to enter his service as Dombrowski and other 
Polish officers had done, and to use the influence of his name among 
his countrymen to excite them against Russia ; hut Kosciusko saw 
through the selfish ambition of the conqueror, and declined appear- 
ing again on the political stage. A proclamation to his country, 
which the French Moniteur ascribed to him in 1806, was a fabrica- 
tion. 

He continued to live in retirement in France until 1814, when he 
wrote to the emperor Alexander, recommending to him the fate of 
his country. In 1815, after the establishment of the new kingdom 
of Poland, Kosciusko wrote again to the emperor, thanking him 
for what he had done for the Poles, but entreating him to extend 
the benefit of nationality to the Lithuanians also, and offering for 
his boon to devote the remainder of his life to his service. Soon 
after he wrote to Prince Czartorinski, testifying likewise his grati- 
tude for the revival of the Polish name, and his disappointment at 
the crippled extent of the new kingdom, which, however, he attri- 
buted not to the intention of the emperor, but to the policy of his 
cabinet, and concluded by saying that, as he could be of no further 
use to his country, he was going to end his days in Switzerland. 

In 1816, Kosciusko settled at Soleure in Switzerland, where he 
applied himself to agricultural pursuits. He died in October, 1817, 
in consequence of a fall from his horse. His remains were removed 
to Cracow, by order of Alexander of Russia, and placed in the vaults 
of the kings of Poland. His countrymen subsequently raised a 
colossal monument to his memory on a plain near Cracow. 

A beautiful monument to his memory, has been erected at West 
Point, by the cadets of the Military Academy, at an expense of 
about five thousand dollars. 




Koaciuak 



ornament at West Foint. 




MAJOR GENERAL MORGAN LEWIS. 

jONG life and distinguished honors crowned the services 
of this noble patriot of the Revolution. He was the 
son of Mr. Francis Lewis, one of the signers of the 
declaration of independence, and was born in the city 
of New York, on the 16th of October, 1754. He graduated at 

453 







454 



MORGAN LEWIS. 




The house in which General Frazer died, Stillwater. 

Princeton College, 1773, when he entered upon the study of the 
law, in the office of Mr. John Jay, afterwards chief justice of the 
supreme court of the United States. 

On the breaking out of the Revolutionary war, 1775, Mr. Lewis 
joined the American army under General Washington, in the neigh- 
borhood of Boston, and continued in active, service till the peace. 
During the contest he distinguished himself on various occasions. 
He is mentioned in General Stephen's despatches as having behaved 
gallantly at the battle of Germantown. His services were particu- 
larly conspicuous at Saratoga, where he held the office of quarter- 
master general, with the rank of colonel, under General Gates, and 
were extremely valuable. In the action at Bemis's Heights, he shared 
with Arnold, Morgan and other active officers the perils and honors 
of the day. Morgan on this occasion is said to have performed an 
act to which he referred with compunction on his death-bed. When 
General Frazer was apparently turning the tide of war in favor of 
the British, he took a few of his choice riflemen aside and said, 
"that gallant officer is General Frazer; I admire and respect him, 
but it is necessary that he should die ; take your stations in that 
wood and do your duty." Within a few moments General Frazer 
fell mortally wounded. He was supported by two officers till he 
reached his tent ; he said he saw the man who shot him, and that he 
was a rifleman posted in a tree. He was subsequently taken to the 
house at Stillwater on the banks of the Hudson, and there breathed 
his last. 

After the surrender of Burgoyne, Colonel Lewis was engaged in 
the operations undertaken by General Clinton, in the northern part 
of New\ork, against Sir John Johnson's mixed force of British 
regulars and savages. 

At the end of the war, he resumed his profession of the law, and 
was shortly after elected a member of the state legislature from the 






SERVICES IN THE LATE WAR. 



455 



city of New York. He next represented in the same body the 
county of Dutchess, whither he had removed ; and was then appointed 
successively a judge of the court of common pleas, attorney-general 
of the state, a judge of the supreme court, and (1801) chief justice 
of the same court. In 1 S04, he was elected governor of New York ; 
in 1810, he served as a member of the senate of that state ; and in 
1812, he was appointed quartermaster general of the United States 
army, with the rank of a brigadier-general. — The last mentioned office 
he held, however, only for about ten months, being promoted in 
March, 1813, to the rank of a major-general. In the earlier part of 
the campaign of that year, he acted under the orders of General 
Dearborn on the Niagara frontier; and, in the latter part of it, he 
accompanied General Wilkinson in his expedition, down the river 
St. Lawrence, against Montreal. In 1814, he was intrusted with 
the command of the forces destined for the defence of the city and 
harbor of New York from an apprehended attack of the enemy. — 
From the close of the war in 1815, down to the period of his death, 
General Lewis lived in retirement from all public duties, with the 
single exception of an oration which he delivered (he being then in 
his seventy-eighth year,) by the request of the corporation of the city 
of New York, on the 22d of February, 1832; that day being the 
centennial anniversary of the birth of the " Father of his country." 




«*^j&S£$6ts««*w« 4 &*^ i 




BRIGADIER GENERAL DAVID WOOSTER. 



in 1738. In 
armed by the 
Spanish war. 
Clap, of Yale College. 
Burr's regiment, sent, 



HE family papers of General 

Wooster were destroyed by the 

British, at the sacking of the 

town of New Haven, in 1779, 

and the biographers of this able 

officer can learn nothing of his 

ancestry and his early years, 

except that he was born in 

Stratford, Connecticut, on the 

2d of March, 1710, and that 

he graduated at Yale College 

1739 we find him employed as captain of a vessel, 

colony, to guard and protect the coast during the 

Soon after, he married the daughter of President 

He was employed as a captain in Colonel 

as part of the Connecticut troops, against 




Louisburg. He greatly distinguished himself at the siege and cap- 
ture of that place. He was retained among those who garrisoned 
the fortress, and afterwards selected to take charge of a cartel-ship 
for France and England. In England he was received with marked 
honor, presented to the king, and the young American officer became 
the favorite of the court. The king admitted him into the regular 
456 



SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTION. 



457 



service, and he was made a captain in Sir William Pepperell's regi- 
ment, with half pay for life. After the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle 
he returned to his family, but the commencement of the French war 
in 1756 again called him to the field, and during its continuance he 
rose to the rank of brigadier-general. When he was restored to 
his home by the peace of 1763, he carried with him many marks 
of the valor which had won him promotion. He next' engaged in 
mercantile business in New Haven, where he was appointed collector 
of the customs. The favors shown him by royalty, however, had not 
weaned him from the love of his country, and though an officer in 
the British regular service, entitled to half pay for his life, and a 
revenue officer, he gave up all in her behalf. His pen and sword 
were among the first employed in the contest for liberty, and his life 
was early given to seal his fidelity to the cause. When the battle 
of Lexington, April 19th, 1775, had fairly begun the contest, he 
immediately employed his energies and talents in devising a plan 
for getting possession of some of the fortresses held by the British 
arms in the colonies, and with a few others, on their own risk and 
responsibility, sent Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold to Ticonderoga, 
which was surprised and taken on the 10th of May. This bold step 
seems to have taken the Congress no less than the garrison wholly by 
surprise. When informed of it, they recommended that an inventory 
of the cannon and military stores found in the fort should be taken, 
' in order that they may be safely returned when the restoration of 
the former harmony between Great Britain and these colonies, so 
ardently wished for by the latter, shall render it prudent and con- 
sistent with the overruling care of self-preservation." 

General Wooster was the third on the list of eight brigadier-gene- 
rals appointed by Congress on the 22d of June, 1775. He had 
command in Canada during the unfortunate campaign of 1776, 
where suffering and want, with the small-pox, proved the worst 
enemies of the army. On his return from this trying situation, 
he requested Congress to order a court of inquiry, by which he was 
acquitted of all blame. 

\Evajb! E was next appointed major-general of the militia 
of Connecticut, and during the winter of 1776, 
and 1777, he was employed in protecting his 
state against the enemy. \\ hile engaged in this 
duty, the British with two thousand men from 
New York landed between Norwalk and Fair- 
field, and destroyed the magazines at Danbury. 
The rain prevented the troops ordered from New Haven from arriving 
in time to prevent this damage, but Generals Wooster and Arnold 




458 



DAVID W00STER. 



with six hundred men, collected by General Silliman, attacked the 
enemy in his retreat. # The inequality of numbers was so great, 
however, that the militia gave way, and General Wooster, while 
endeavoring to rally them, received a mortal wound. His wife and 
son came to attend him at Danbury. He told them he was dying, 
but with the strong hope and persuasion that his country would gain 
her independence. His death took place on the second of May, 
1777, at the age of sixty-seven. 

Congress in appreciation of his merits and services passed resolu- 
tions for erecting a monument to his memory, made an appropriation 
for the purpose, and requested the governor of Connecticut to carry 
it into execution ; but the remains of this gallant officer and patriot 
still lie in an unmarked grave, in the village he died defending. 





BRIGADIER GENERAL JOHN BROOKS. 




OHN BROOKS was born in the village of 
Medford, near Boston, in the year 1752. His 
ancestors were among the earliest settlers of 
the country, and they had followed in suc- 
cession the occupation of farming, in which 
Governor Brooks himself, passed the earliest 
years of his life. He surmounted the diffi- 
culties that lay in the way of his receiving a 
good education, and acquired a sufficient 
knowledge of the ancient languages, to commence his favorite study, 
that of medicine. Having obtained his degree, he commenced the 
practice of his profession in the town of Reading, where he was 
found at the commencement of the revolution, prepared to take arms 
in defence of his country. He became commander of a company of 
minute men, whom he learned to train, by observing the drilling of 
the British soldiery in Boston. Aroused by the news of the advance 
of the British upon Lexington, he led his company against them, 
posted them behind a stone wall commanding the road from Concord 
to Boston, at a place where it passed over a marsh by a bridge and 
causeway. From this point he annoyed them severely as they were 
retreating to Boston, and after they had passed, joined the American 

459 



460 



JOHN BROOKS. 



/ .vv^'lp-t. 




Brooks's Provincials annoying the British on their retreat from Concord. 

forces in pursuit. He became a major in Colonel Bridge's regiment, 
when the army was organized. Serving apart from his regiment, he 
took part in the battle of Bunker's Hill, going the rounds with 
Colonel Prescott, and working in the intrenchments during the night. 
At daylight in the morning, it became apparent that, the enemy were 
about to make an attack, and Colonel Prescott desired that this 
should be made known to the general-in-chief, with a request for 
reinforcements. Major Brooks performed this duty, and, for want 
of a horse, he accomplished his mission on foot, but with promptitude 
and success. He was afterwards attached to Colonel Webb's regi- 
ment, in which he assisted in throwing up the intrenchments on 
Dorchester Heights, which compelled the evacuation of Boston. 
Major Brooks served under Washington on Long Island, and at the 
battle of the White Plains, his gallantry and the discipline of his 
soldiers gained him much credit. He was engaged in active service 
during the campaign in the Jerseys, and as a lieutenant-colonel, 
commanding a regiment, in the campaign against Burgoyne. In 
the battles preceding the surrender of that officer, Colonel Brooks 
bore a conspicuous part. He turned with his regiment the line of 
the enemy, and storming successfully the redoubt occupied by the 
Germans, in the decisive action of the 7th of October. Colonel 
Trumbull has given him a place among the principal actors in his 
celebrated painting of the surrender of Burgoyne. 

Colonel Brooks was with his regiment at Valley Forge, where he 
assisted materially in bringing the new military system of Baron 



HIS DEATH. 



461 



Steuben into use. As adjutant-general to General Lee, he took an 
active part in the battle of Monmouth. On the banks of the Hudson 
he was again employed in perfecting the discipline of the army. 
When the famous Newburg letters were published, and the com- 
mander-in-chief was involved in doubt and uncertainty as to the 
course that the officers would pursue, he rode, according to an anec- 
dote related by the late Chief Justice Parker, of Massachusetts, up 
to Colonel Brooks, to learn how he and his officers were affected. 
Finding him, as he expected, to be sound, he requested him to keep 
his officers in their quarters, to prevent them from attending the 
insurgent meeting. Brooks replied, " Sir, I have anticipated your 
wishes, and my orders are given." Washington, with tears in his 
eyes, took him by the hand, and said, " Colonel Brooks, this is just 
what I should have expected from you." 

Retiring in poverty, from the service of his country, Colonel 
Brooks resumed the practice of his profession in Medford, with great 
success. He was made major-general of the third division of the 
Massachusetts militia, and frequently elected a member of the legis- 
lature of that state. He was a member of the convention which 
framed the constitution of the United States, and labored to secure 
the adoption by his own state, of the new frame of government. In 
the organization of the army of the United States, in 1798, General 
Brooks received the tender from Washington, of the command of a 
brigade, which, however, he declined. In 1816, General Brooks 
became governor of Massachusetts, and filled that office for six suc- 
cessive terms. 

After his retirement from the gubernatorial chair, he continued his 
public services in various capacities. He continued till his death 
president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, of the Society of the 
Cincinnati, and other useful public bodies. During his life, he was 
honored by Harvard University with the degrees of master of arts 
and doctor of laws. On the 1 1th of February, 1825, he went from 
his home to attend the funeral of General Eustis, his revolutionary 
associate, and successor in the governorship of Massachusetts. On 
the 2d of March, of the same year, he died himself, aged seventy- 
three. We cannot better close this sketch, than by quoting from 
Chief Justice Parker's memoir, the following extract. " Though 
the style of his living was conformable to his limited means, yet the 
order and regularity of his household, the real comfort of his enter- 
tainments, the polite deportment of the host, struck strangers, even 
those accustomed to magnificence, as a happy specimen of republi- 
can simplicity, and of generous, but economical hospitality. Bred in 
the best school of manners — a military association of high-minded, 



462 



JOHN BROOKS. 



accomplished officers — his deportment, though grave and dignified 
like Washington's, was nevertheless warm and affectionate. On all 
ceremonious occasions, ceremony seemed to become him better than 
any one else. In the chair of state, when receiving the gratulations 
of a happy people on the birthday of their independence ; — on the 
spacious common, paying honors to the President of the United 
States; — on the military field, reviewing our national guard, the 
militia ;— at his own humble, but honored mansion, taking to his 
breast his early friend, the nation's guest ; what young man of taste 
and feeling could be unmoved at his soldierly air, his graceful 
demeanor, covering, but not impairing the generous feelings of a 
warm and affectionate heart ! If the writer does not mistake, he was 
one of the last and best samples of that old school of manners, which, 
though it has given way to the ease and convenience of modern 
times, will be regretted by some, as having carried away with it many 
of the finest and most delicate traits of social intercourse." 

We place, as a suitable appendage to this notice of Governor 
Brooks, the old monument formerly standing on Beacon Hill, in Bos- 
ton, the capital of the state over whose destinies Governor Brooks 
presided. It was sixty feet in height, and bore inscriptions com- 
memorating the most important events of the revolution. 




Old Monument on Beacon Hill, Boston. 




MAJOR GENERAL BARON DE KALB. 




towards the mother country. 



HIS excellent officer was born in 
Germany, about the year 1717. 
When young, he entered the ser- 
vice of France, in which he con- 
tinued for forty-two years, and ob- 
tained the rank of brigadier-general. 
In 1757, during the war between 
England and France, he was sent, 
by the French government, to the 
American colonies, in order to learn 
the points in which they were most 
vulnerable, and how far the seeds of 
discontent might be sown in them 

He was seized, while in the perform- 

463 



464 BARON DE KALB, 

ance of this commission, as a suspected person, but escaped detec 
tion. He then went to Canada, where he remained until its conquest 
by the British, after which he returned to France. In 1777, during 
the war of the Revolution, he came a second time to the United 
States, and offered his services to Congress. They were accepted, 
and he was soon after made a major-general. At first, he was placed 
in the northern army, but when the danger which threatened Charles- 
ton from the formidable expedition under Sir Henry Clinton, in 1778, 
rendered it necessary to reinforce the American troops in the south, 
a detachment was sent to them consisting of the Maryland and Dela- 
ware lines, which were put under his command. Before he could 
arrive, however, at the scene of action, General Lincoln had been 
made prisoner, and the direction of the whole southern army in con- 
sequence devolved upon the Baron until the arrival of General Gates, 
August 15th, 1780, who had been appointed to the command. 

Four days after this, General Gates found himself at Camden, 
with three thousand seven hundred men, of whom only one thousand 
were regular troops, in the presence of two thousand British vete- 
rans, led by Lord Cornwallis. 

HE enemy were drawn up in 
one line, extending across the 
whole ground, and flanked by 
the swamps on both sides. Col- 
onel Webster was stationed on 
the right, and Lord Rawdon on 
the left ; in front of the line, the 
artillery, with four field-pieces, 
were posted; the reserve were 
posted at two stations in the rear, near the centre of each wing, 
at each of which was one six-pounder ; and the cavalry occupied the 
road in the rear, which, with the reserve, formed the second line. 
General Gates changed the first disposition of his troops : the second 
Maryland brigade and the Delaware regiment were posted on the 
right, under General Gist: the centre was occupied by General 
Caswell, with the North Carolina militia ; and the Virginia militia, 
commanded by General Stevens, were placed on the left, being 
opposed to the best troops of the enemy. The artillery was 
divided among the several brigades ; and the first Maryland bri- 
gade, under General Smallwood, formed the reserve. The line of 
battle was intrusted to the Baron de Kalb, who was posted on 
the right, great reliance being placed on his experience and known 
intrepidity ; he was to watch the movements of the whole line, and 
direct his exertions where circumstances might indicate. General 




BATTLE OF CAMDEN. 465 

Gates was stationed in the road, between the reserve and the front 
line. 

The action was commenced by a vigorous attack on the American 
left, by the enemy's right, which were their best troops ; this was 
immediately followed by the discharge of artillery from our centre, 
and the action was soon commenced along the whole line. The 
Virginia militia on our left, unable to stand the vigorous assault 
of Ihe British veterans, after one fire threw down their arms and 
fled ; and their pernicious example was immediately followed by 
the North Carolina brigade in our centre; and all the exertions of 
their officers, and of General Gat'es in person, to rally them was 
ineffectual : filled with consternation, they continued their cowardly 
flight until they reached a place of safety. The centre of the 
American line being thus broken, the right, consisting of the Mary- 
land brigade and Delaware regiment, led by the gallant De Kalb, 
had to sustain the whole force of the action. De Kalb and Gist 
were pushing on with decided advantage, at the time the militia 
gave way, which stopped their advance, and brought the whole fire 
of the enemy upon them ; animated by their brave leader, they 
resolutely sustained this unequal contest for a considerable time, and 
until all the other troops had retreated : several times were the 
enemy's van driven in with loss. General Smallwood, with the 
first Maryland brigade, which had formed the reserve, advanced and 
took the place of the fugitives on the left, which exposed him to the 
whole corps of Webster's veterans, on the enemy's right. The shock 
was too heavy for militia ; three times was General Smallwood 
compelled to give way, and with determined valor three times did he 
return to the charge, and would probably have maintained his 
ground had not the remaining regiment of North Carolina militia, 
which for some time seemed resolved to retrieve the disgrace of their 
countrymen, finally gave way, which compelled Smallwood's regi- 
ment to retire in some disorder from so unequal and destructive a 
contest. This left the right the second time exposed to the whole 
force of the enemy. Few, but undismayed, the brave continentals, 
animated by the heroic conduct of their chief, made a determined 
effort to sustain the honor of the field alone. From the vast superi- 
ority of the enemy, their fire was heavy and destructive, and could 
not be returned with the same effect ; De Kalb, therefore, placed his 
last hopes on the bayonet, and, making a desperate charge, drove 
the enemy before him with considerable advantage. But at this time, 
Cornwallis, perceiving that the American cavalry had left the field, 
ordered Colonel Tarlton to charge with his cavalry ; and, having 
concentrated his whole force the charge, was made with the usual 

30 



4G6 



BARON DE KALB. 




Battle of Camden and death of De Kalb. 



impetuosity of that daring officer. This was decisive of the des- 
perate conflict, and fatal to the gallant officer who is the subject of 
this brief notice. Fatigued from their long and arduous efforts, the 
heroic continentals, who had sustained almost the whole burden of 
the day, were unable to withstand the charge ; and their gallant 
leader, who was himself a host, having fallen, they were compelled 
to leave a field which they had so honorably defended, and seek 
safety by flight. The victory, and the dispersion of the Americans 
was complete ; and the fugitives were pursued for more than twenty 
miles. The troops under De Kalb, on the right, suffered as might 
be supposed, most severely ; the Delaware regiment was nearly 
destroyed, two companies only being left, and more than one-third 
of the continentals were killed and wounded. 

Perhaps no officer ever exerted himself more, in a single action, 
than did the Baron de Kalb on this occasion ; he did all that man 
could do to retrieve the fortune of the day, exposing himself to con- 
stant and imminent danger. He received eleven wounds in the 
course of the action ; but kept his post and continued his exertions 
until the last, which proved mortal. As he fell, his aid, Lieutenant- 
Colonel de Buysson, caught him in his arms, to save him from the 
uplifted bayonets of the enemy, which he warded off by receiving 
them in his own body. In his last moments the baron dictated a 



DEATH OF DE KALB. 



467 



letter to General Smalhvood, who succeeded to his command, ex- 
pressing a warm affection for the Americans and the cause in which 
they were engaged, and his admiration of the conduct of the troops 
under his immediate command, whose bravery and firmness, in so 
unequal a contest, he said, had called forth the commendation even 
of the enemy ; and concluded by expressing the satisfaction he felt 
in having fallen in the defence of the independence and liberties of 
America, a cause so dear to the lovers of liberty and the friends of 
humanity, in Europe as well as America. He survived only a few 
days : an ornamental tree was planted at the head of his grave, near 
Camden, and Congress, duly sensible of his merits, passed a resolu- 
tion directing a monument to be erected to his memorv, with very 
honorable inscriptions, at Annapolis, in Maryland ; but the resolu- 
tion, it is believed, has never been carried into effect, and the grati- 
tude and plighted faith of the nation both remain unredeemed. He 
was in the forty-eighth year of his age ; most of his life had been 
spent in military employments, and the last three years in America, 
with distinguished reputation. 





BRIGADIER GENERAL GEORGE R. CLARKE. 




[FTir^jHIS gentleman, who was a colo- 



nel in the service of Virginia, 
against the Indians, in the revo- 
lutionary war, was among the 
best soldiers, and better acquainted with 
the Indian warfare than any officer in 
the army. While his countrymen on the 
sea-board were contending with the Bri- 
tish regulars, he was the efficient pro- 
tector of the people of the frontiers of Virginia and Pennsylvania 
from the inroads of the savages. The history of his exploits would 
fill a volume ; and for hair-breadth escapes and hardy enterprise, 
would hardly have a parallel. We are only enabled to give an 
extract : 

The legislature of Virginia claiming the country conquered by 
Colonel Clarke, comprehended it within the new country, which 
they erected by the name of Illinois. A regiment of infantry, and 
one troop of cavalry were voted for its protection ; the command of 
which was given to Colonel Clarke, whose former regiment was dis- 
solved, by the expiration of its term of service, and who well merited 
this new expression of public confidence, by the entire success of his 

468 



SERVICES IN THE WEST. 469 

late enterprises, by his known courage, by his uncommon hardihood, 
by his military talents, and by his singular capacity for Indian 
warfare. 

The families who came to the falls of Ohio with Colonel Clarke, 
in 1778, were the first settlers at that place. Considering their 
exposed situation on the extremity of Kentucky, detached seventy 
miles from the other settlements, and in the vicinity of several hostile 
tribes of Indians, and British posts, it was deemed expedient to erect 
their first cabins on the principal island in the falls, and there they 
made com in that year. 

Greatly were these adventurers interested in the success of Colo- 
nel Clarke's expedition. Nor was it long before they heard of the 
fall of Kaskakias. Pleasing as was this intelligence, it did not 
afford to them the wanted security. 

There, was yet post St. Vincents, more immediately in their neigh- 
borhood, and replenished with Indians. The capture of this place 
was to them the mandate of liberation from their insular situation, 
and an invitation to remove to the Kentucky shore. Hence, the origin 
of the settlement at the site of Louisville. 

4. stand being once made at the Falls, and the garrison freed from 
the contracted and inconvenient limits of the island, soon accumu- 
lated strength from accession of numbers, and importance from its 
becoming the residence of Colonel Clarke with his regiment. 

The year 1779 early felt, in various ways, the effect of Colonel 
Clarke's expedition and success ; a general confidence prevailed in 
the country, which extended itself abroad ; and while it brought 
more emigrants into Kentucky, it encouraged an extension of the 
settlements. About the first of April, a block-house was built where 
Lexington now stands, and a new settlement began there under the 
auspices of Robert Patterson, who may be considered an early and 
meritorious adventurer, much engaged in the defence of the country; 
and who was afterwards promoted to the rank of colonel. Several 
persons raised corn at the place, that year, and in the autumn, John 
Morrison, afterwards a major, removed his family from Harrodsburg, 
and Mrs. Morrison was the first white woman at Lexington ; so 
named to commemorate the battle at Lexington, the first which took 
place in the war of the revolution. 

In this year, Colonel Clarke descended the Ohio, with a part of 
his regiment, and after entering the Mississippi, at the first high land 
on the eastern bank, landed the troops, and built Fort Jefferson. 

In a military view, this position was well chosen ; and had it been 
well fortified, and furnished with cannon, would have commanded 
the river. Without a doubt, at some future day, it will be a place 



470 



GEORGE R. CLARKE. 



It is within the limits 



A suitable garrison at 




of great, importance in tne western country 

of Kentucky, and never should be alienated. 

that place, should it ever be necessary, would hold in check both the 

upper and lower Mississippi. 

"N 1781, Colonel Clarke received a 
general's, commission, and had the chief 
command in Kentucky. A row-galley 
was constructed under his direction, 
which was to ply up and down the 
Ohio, as a moving battery for the north- 
western frontier, and which is supposed 
to have had a very good effect in fright- 
ening the Indians, for none dared to 
attack it ; nor were they so free as 
theretofore in crossing the river ; indeed there is a tradition, that its 
passage up the Ohio once as far as the mouth of Licking, had the 
effect to stop an expedition, which a formidable party of Indians had 
commenced against Kentucky. 

The character of this veteran is well developed in the following 
extract, recently published, from the " Notes of an Old Officer :" 

" The Indians came into the treaty at Fort Washington in the 
most friendly manner, except the Shawahanees, the most conceited 
and most warlike of the aborigines, the first in at a battle, the last 
at a treaty. Three hundred of their finest warriors, set off in all 
their paint and feathers, filed into the council house. Their number 
and demeanor, so unusual at an occasion of this sort, was altogether 
unexpected and suspicious. The United States stockade mustered 
seventy men. 

In the centre of the hall, at a little table, sat the commissary, 
General Clarke, the indefatigable scourge of these very marauders ; 
General Richard Butler, and Mr. Parsons ; there were present also, 
a Captain Denny, who, I believe, is still alive, and can attest this 
story. On the part of the Indians an old council sachem and a war 
chief, took the lead ; the latter, a tall, raw-boned fellow, with an 
impudent and villanous look, made a boisterous and threatening 
speech, which operated effectually on the passions of the Indians, 
who set up a prodigious whoop at every pause. He concluded by 
presenting a black and white wampum, to signify they were prepared 
for either event, peace or war. Clarke exhibited the same unaltered 
and careless countenance he had shown during the whole scene, his 
head leaning on his left hand, and his elbow resting on the table ; he 
raised his little cane and pushed the sacred wampum off the table 
with very little ceremony ; every Indian at the same moment started 



ANECDOTE OF GENERAL CLARKE. 471 

from his seat with one of those strange, simultaneous, and peculiarly 
savage sounds, which startle and disconcert the stoutest hearts, and 
can neither be described nor forgotten. 

Parsons, more civil than military in his habits, was poorly fitted 
for an emergency that probably embarrassed even the hero of Sara- 
toga, the brother and father of soldiers. At this juncture Clarke 
rose ; the scrutinizing eye cowered at his glance ; he stamped his 
foot on the prostrate and insulted symbol, and ordered them to leave 
the hall. They did so, apparently involuntarily. 

They were heard all that night debating in the bushes near the 
fort. The raw-boned chief was for war, the old sachem for peace ; 
the latter prevailed ; and the next morning they came back and sued 
for peace." 

General Clarke died at his seat, at Locust Grove, near Louisville, 
Kentucky, on the 13th of February, 1817, in the sixty-sixth year 
of his age. He had justly acquired the appellation of the father of 
the western country. A newspaper, in his immediate neighborhood, 
thus feelingly noticed his death: 

" Could our feeble talents enable us to delineate the distinguished 
acts of patriotism, of valor, and philanthropy, that characterized the 
existence of this illustrious chief, what a spectacle would we present 
to the admiring world ! While basking in the sunshine of wealth 
and political glory, can we be unmindful that these are the proud 
trophies bequeathed us by the toils and valor of this illustrious man? 
Early in life he embarked in the cause of his country. This western 
country was the great theatre of his actions. Bold and enterprising, 
he was not to be dismayed by the dangers and difficulties that 
threatened him, by a force in number far his superior, and removed 
to a region never before trodden by a civilized American. He esti- 
mated the value of its favorable result ; he relied on his skill and 
courage ; he knew the fidelity of his little band of associates, and, 
for him, it was enough. With this little band of Spartans, he is seen 
piercing the gloom of the sequestered forests, illuminating them in 
quick succession with the splendor of his victories, and early inviting 
his countrymen to a residence his courage and skill had purchased 
for them." 





BRIGADIER GENERAL WILLIAM SMALLWOOD. 




>HIS gallant officer bore a distin 
guished part in the revolutionary 
war. .He was a native of the state 
of Maryland, and joined the cause 
of his country in August, 1776. 
He was at that time colonel of a 
battalion, with which he arrived in 
New York city, on the eighth of that 
month. In the stirring scenes at- 
tending the defeat of the Americans 
at Long Island and White Plains, 
he performed a distinguished part, and was rewarded (October 23d,) 
by his appointment as brigadier-general. In August of the follow- 
ing year, he led the Maryland militia in Sullivan's attempt on Staten 
Island. While Washington - was. using every exertion to defend 
Philadelphia against Sir William Howe, Smallwood mustered about 
twelve hundred militia from his native state, and hastened to join 
the main army. This he did September 28th, 1777, although sick- 
ness had reduced the number of his troops to one thousand. In the 
battle of Germantown he behaved with much bravery at the head of 

472 



HIS DEATH. 



473 



the Marylanders and Jerseymen, and in the retreat displayed all the 
coolness and ability of a veteran commander. In December of the 
same year he was ordered by Washington to Wilmington, in order to 
prevent that town from falling into the hands of the British, who were 
at that time marching against it. Early in 1779, the enemy made a 
similar attempt upon Elizabethtown. To repel this, Smallwood, with 
the Maryland division of the army, and General St. Clair, with the 
Pennsylvania division, were put in motion by different routes to form 
a junction at the Scotch Plains, and proceed to reinforce General 
Maxwell, and act as circumstances might require. The troops were 
recalled, however, before they had advanced far, in consequence of 
intelligence being received of the sudden retreat of the enemy. 

General Smallwood was with Gates in the disastrous campaign 
of that officer in the south. In the fall of 1780, he was named as 
the officer to receive the appointment of major-general from the state 
of Maryland, and was accordingly commissioned by Congress. On 
account of some misunderstanding with' the Baron Steuben about 
rank, he left the southern army, and even hinted at a determination 
to resign. 

After the close of the war he continued in his native state until 
1785, when he was elected to Congress. He became governor of 
Maryland the same year, and fulfilled the duties of that office until 
1788. After this he retired to private life, until 1792, when his 
death occurred. 





BRIGADIER GENERAL ARMAND TUFIN, 

MARQUIS DE LA KOUERIE. 

HIS gentleman was a native of Brit- 
tany, who was ten years in the 
French service, in the early part of 
his life, and subsequently entered the 
monastery of La Trappe, in conse- 
quence of a disappointment in love. 
He left France in 1776, to enter the 
American service, bearing despatches 
from Dr. Franklin. Having narrowly 
escaped capture at the mouth of the 
Delaware, he arrived safely at Phila- 
delphia, and delivered his despatches. 
" At his own request," says Mr. 
Sparks, " he was commissioned to 
raise a partisan corps of Frenchmen, not exceeding two hundred 

474 




HIS DEATH. 475 

men. It was thought that some advantage would result from such 
a corps, by bringing together into a body such soldiers as did not 
understand the English language." 

He served with La Fayette, and was in an affair with the enemy 
at Gloucester Point, near Philadelphia, in 1777, where he behaved 
with spirit. 

It appears by a letter of Washington, dated at Valley Forge, 25th 
March, 1778, that the colonel's corps being reduced below fifty men, 
Congress had determined to incorporate it into some regiment, and 
he was desirous to raise a new one. 

In 1779, Washington mentions his corps as serving in Pennsyl- 
vania, and also in Sullivan's division, with whom he had served in 
the expedition to Rhode Island. 

In July, 1779, Armand's independent corps is mentioned as com- 
posing a part of General Robert Howe's division ordered to repair 
to Ridgefield. 

In December, 1779, General Washington writes to Colonel Ar- 
mand, (as he was always called,) " I have the most favorable opinion 
of your conduct and services, particularly in the course of the last 
campaign, in which circumstances enabled you to be more active 
and useful." 

We learn by another of Washington's letters to the colonel, in 
1780, that the board of war recommended the incorporation of his 
corps with the late Pulaski's, and that Washington recommended his 
being ordered with his men to Georgia. At the same time Wash- 
ington incloses him an ample certificate of merit. 

During his term of service, Colonel Armand had frequently applied 
for promotion without success ; and in 1781 he returned to France. 
But he soon returned, served in the southern states under General 
Greene, and on the 26th of March, 1783, obtained promotion to the 
rank of brigadier-general. 

He subsequently returned to France, married a lady of fortune, 
took an active part in the revolution, and died before it was closed. 





BRIGADIER GENERAL COUNT PULASKI. 




HIS gallant soldier was a native of Poland, 
whose disastrous history is well known. Vainly 
struggling to restore the lost independence of 
his country, he was forced to seek personal 
safety by its abandonment. Pulaski, with a 
few men, in the year 1771, carried off king 
Stanislaus from the middle of his capital, 
though surrounded by a numerous body of 
guards, and a Russian army. The king soon escaped, and declared 
Pulaski an outlaw. Hearing of the glorious struggle in which we 
were engaged, he hastened to the wilds of America, and associated 
himself with our perils and our fortunes. Congress honored him 
with the commission of brigadier-general, with a view, as was 
rumored, of placing him at the head of the. American cavalry, the 
line of service in which he had been bred. But his ignorance of our 
language, and the distaste of our officers to foreign superiority, stifled 
this project. He was then authorized to raise a legionary corps, 
appointing his own officers. 

Indefatigable and persevering, the Count collected about two 
hundred infantry and two hundred horse, made up of all sorts, chiefly 
of German deserters. His officers were generally foreign, with some 

476 



SIEGE OF SAVANNAH. 



477 



Americans. With this assemblage, the Count took the field : and 
after serving some time in the northern army, he was sent to the 
south, and fell at the battle of Savannah. There slumbers the 
gallant Pole, the immortal Pulaski, who threw himself into the arms 
of America, and professed himself the champion of her rights ; and 
in the unfortunate affair of Savannah, sealed with his blood, the 
rising liberties of his adopted country. 

He was sober, diligent and intrepid, gentlemanly in his manners, 
and amiable in heart. He was very reserved, and when alone, 
betrayed strong evidence of deep melancholy. Those who knew 
him intimately, spoke highly of the sublimity of his virtue, and the 
constancy of his friendship. Commanding this heterogeneous corps, 
badly equipped and worse mounted, this brave Pole encountered 
difficulties and sought danger. Nor is there doubt, if he had been 
conversant in our language, and better acquainted with our customs 
and country, he would have become one of our most conspicuous 
and useful officers. 

General Lee, to whom we are indebted for this sketch, gives the 
following account in his memoirs, of the attack on Savannah, where 
it will be found the intrepid Pulaski made a gallant effort to retrieve 
the fortune of the day. 

" On the 9th of October, 1779, the allied troops under the Count 
d'Estaing and General Lincoln, moved to the assault. The serious 
stroke having been committed to two columns, One was led by 
d'Estaing and Lincoln united, the other by Count Dillon ; the third 
column moved upon the enemy's centre and left, first to attract 
attention, and lastly to press any advantage which might be derived 
from the assault by our left. 

The troops acted well their parts, and the issue hung for some 
time suspended. Dillon's column, mistaking its route in the dark- 
ness of the morning, failed in co-operation, and very much reduced 
the force of the attack ; while d'Estaing and Lincoln, concealed by 
the same darkness, drew with advantage near the enemy's lines 
undiscovered. Notwithstanding this loss of concert in assault by 
the two columns destined to carry the enemy, noble and determined 
was the advance. The front of the first was greatly thinned by the 
foe, sheltered in his strong and safe defences, and aided by batteries 
operating not only in front but in flank. 

Regardless of the fatal fire from their covered enemy, this unap- 
palled column, led by Lincoln and d'Estaing, forced the abattis and 
planted their standards on the parapet. All was gone, could this 
lodgment have been maintained. Maitland's comprehensive eye 
saw the menacing blow ; and his vigorous mind seized the means of 



478 



COUNT PULASKI. 



warding it off. He drew from the disposable force, the grenadiers 

and marines, nearest to the point gained. This united corps under 

Lieutenant-Colonel Glazier assumed with joy the arduous task to 

recover the lost ground. With unimpaired strength it fell upon the 

worried head of the victorious column ; who, though piercing the 

enemy in one point, had not spread along the parapet ; and the 

besieged bringing up superior force, victory was suppressed in its 

birth. The triumphant standards were torn down ; and the gallant 

soldiers, who had gone so far towards the goal of conquest, were 

tumbled into the ditcn and driven through the abattis. About this 

time that Maitland was preparing this critical movement, count 

Pulaski, at the head of two hundred horse, threw himself upon the 

works to force his way into the enemy's rear. Receiving a mortal 

wound, this brave officer fell ; and his fate arrested the gallant effort 

which might have changed the issue of the day. Repulsed in every 

point of attack, the allied generals drew off their troops. The 

retreat was effected in good order ; no attempt to convert it into 

rout being made by the British general. Count d'Estaing, who, with 

General Lincoln, had courted danger to give effect to the assault, 

was wounded. Captain Tawes, of the provincial troops, signalized 

himself by his intrepidity in defending the redoubts committed to his 

charge, the leading points of our assault. He fell dead at the gate, 

with his sword plunged into the body of the third enemy, whom he 

had slain." 

Pulaski died two days after the action, and Congress resolved that 
a monument should be erected to his memory. 




Battle of Savannah, death of Pulaski. 




COLONEL SETH WAENER. 




MONG the persons who have performed 
important services to the state of Ver- 
mont, Colonel Seth Warner deserves to 
be remembered with respect. He was 
born at Woodbury, in the colony of Con- 
necticut, about the year 1744, of honest 
and respectable parents. Without any 
other advantages for an education than 
were to be found in the common schools 
of the town, he was early distinguished 
by the solidity and extent of his understanding. About the year 
1763, his parents purchased a tract of land in Bennington, and soon 
after removed to that town with their family. In the uncultivated 
state of the country, in the fish, with which the rivers and ponds 
were furnished, and in the game, with which the woods abounded, 
young Warner found a variety of objects suited to his favorite in- 
clinations and pursuits ; and he soon became distinguished as a for- 
tunate and indefatigable hunter. 

His father, Captain Benjamin Warner, had a strong inclination to 
medicinal inquiries and pursuits ; and agreeably to the state of things 
in new settlements, had to look for many of his medicines in the 
natural virtues of the plants and roots, that were indigenous to the 
country. His son Seth frequently attended him in these botanical 
excursions, contracted something of his father's taste for the busi- 
ness, and acquired more information of the nature and properties of 
the indigenous plants and vegetables, than any other man in the 
country. By this kind of knowledge he became useful to the fami- 

479 



480 SETH WARNER. 

lies in the new settlements, and administered relief in many cases 
where no other medical assistance could at that time be procured. 
By such visits and practice he became known to most of the fami- 
lies on the west side of the Green Mountains ; and was generally 
esteemed by them a man highly useful both on account of his infor- 
mation and humanity. 

About the year 1763, a scene began to open which gave a new 
turn to his active and enterprising spirit. The lands on which the 
settlements were made, had been granted by the governors of New 
Hampshire. The government of New York claimed jurisdiction to 
the eastward as far as Connecticut river r denied the authority of 
the governor of New Hampshire to make any grants to the west of 
Connecticut river ; and announced to the inhabitants that they were 
within the territory of New York, and had no legal title to the lands 
on which they had settled. The controversy became very serious 
between the two governments, and after some years spent in alterca- 
tion, New York procured a decision of George III. in their favor. 
This order was dated July 20, 1764, and declared "the western 
banks of the river Connecticut, from where it enters the province of 
Massachusetts Bay, as far north as the forty-fifth degree of northern 
latitude, to be the boundary line between the said two provinces of 
New Hampshire and New York." No sooner was this decree pro- 
cured, than the governor of New York proceeded to make new 
grants of the lands, which the settlers had before fairly bought of 
the crown, and which had been chartered to them in the king's name 
and authority by the royal governor of New Hampshire. All be- 
came a scene of disorder and danger. The new patentees under 
New York brought actions of ejectment against the settlers. The 
decisions of the courts at Albany were always in favor of the New 
York patentees ; and nothing remained for the inhabitants but to buy 
their lands over again, or to give up the labors and earnings of their 
whole lives to the new claimants under titles from New York. 

During this scene of oppression and distress, the settlers discovered 
the firm and vigorous spirit of manhood. All that was left to them, 
was either to yield up their whole property to a set of unfeeling land- 
jobbers, or to defend themselves and property by force. They 
wisely and virtuously chose the latter ; and by a kind of common 
consent, Ethan Allen and Seth Warner became their leaders. No 
man's abilities and talents could have been better suited to the busi- 
ness than Warner's. When the authority of New York proceeded 
with an armed force to attempt to execute their laws, Warner met 
them with a body of Green Mountain boys, properly armed, full of 
resolution, and so formidable in numbers and courage, that the 



SERVICES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. 



481 




Earl of Percy. 

governor of New York was obliged to give up his method of pro- 
ceeding. When the sheriff came to extend his executions, and eject 
the settlers from their farms, Warner would not suffer him to proceed. 
Spies were employed to procure intelligence, and promote division 
among the people ; when any of them were taken, Warner caused 
them to be tried by some of the most discreet of the people ; and 
if declared guilty, to be tied to a tree and whipped. An officer cam$ 
to take Warner by force ; he considered it as an affair of open hos- 
tility, engaged, wounded and disarmed the officer ; but, with the 
honor and spirit of a soldier, spared the life of an enemy he had 
subdued. These services appeared in a very different light to the 
settlers, and to the government of New York ; the first considered 
him as an eminent patriot and hero ; to the other he appeared as the 
first of villains and rebels. To put an end to all further exertions, 
and to bring him to an exemplary punishment, the government of 
New York, on March 9th, 1774, passed an act of outlawry against 
him ; and a proclamation was issued by W. Tryon, governor of New 
York, offering a reward of fifty pounds to any person who should 
apprehend him. These proceedings of New York were beheld by 
him with contempt ; and they had no other .effect upon the settlers, 
than to unite them more firmly in their opposition to that govern- 
ment, and in their attachment to their own patriotic leader thus 
wantonly proscribed. 

In services of so dangerous and important a nature, Warner was 

31 



482 SETH WARNER. 

engaged from the year 1765 to 1775. That year a scene of the 
highest magnitude and consequence opened upon the world. On the 
19th of April, the American war was begun by the British troops 
at Lexington, when the infantry of Major Pitcairn and the artillery 
of the Earl of Percy were compelled to retreat by the hardy yeo- 
manry of Massachusetts. Happily for the country, it was commenced 
with such circumstances of insolence and cruelty, as left no room 
for the people of America to doubt what was the course which they 
ought to pursue. The time was come, in which total subjection, or 
the horrors of war, must take place. All America preferred the 
latter ; and the people of the New Hampshire Grants immediately 
undertook to secure the British forts at Ticonderoga and Crown 
Point. Allen and Warner immediately engaged in the business. 
Allen took the command, and Warner raised a body of excellent 
troops in the vicinity of Bennington, and both marched against 
Ticonderoga. They surprised and took that fortress on the morning 
of the tenth of May ; and Warner was sent the same day with a 
detachment of the troops to secure Crown Point. He effected the 
business, and secured the garrison, with all the warlike stores, for 
the use of the continent. 

The same year Warner received a commission from Congress to 
raise a regiment, to assist in the reduction of Canada. He engaged 
in the business with his usual spirit of activity ; raised his regiment 
chiefly among his old acquaintance and friends, the Green Mountain 
Boys, and joined the army under the command of Genera] Mont- 
gomery. The Honorable Samuel Safford of Bennington was his 
lieutenant-colonel. Their regiment conducted with great spirit, and 
acquired high applause, in the action at Longueil, in which the 
troops designed for the relief of St. Johns were totally defeated and 
dispersed, chiefly by the troops under the command of Colonel War- 
ner. The campaign ended about the 20th of November, in the course 
of which, Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Chamblee, St. Johns, Montreal, 
and a fleet of eleven sail of vessels had been captured by the Ameri- 
can arms. No man in this campaign had acted with more spirit and 
enterprise than Colonel Warner. The weather was now become 
severe, and Warner's men were too miserably clothed to bear a win- 
ter's campaign in the severe, climate of Canada. They were accord- 
ingly now discharged by Montgomery with particular marks of his 
respect, and the most affectionate thanks for their meritorious ser- 
vices. 

Warner returned with his men to the New Hampshire Grants, but 
his mind was more than ever engaged in the cause of his country. 
Montgomery with a part of his army, pressed on to Quebec, and on 



HIS SERVICES AT QUEBEC. 485 

December 31st, was slain in an attempt to carry the city by storm. 
This event gave an alarm to all the northern part of the colonies ; 
and it became necessary to raise a reinforcement to march to Quebec 
in the midst of winter. The difficulty of the business suited the 
genius and ardor of Warner's mind. He was at Woodbury, in Con- 
necticut, when he heard the news of Montgomery's defeat and death ; 
he instantly repaired to Bennington, raised a body of men, and 
marched in the midst of winter to join the American troops at Que- 
bec. The campaign during the winter proved extremely distressing 
to the Americans ; in want of comfortable clothing, barracks, and 
provisions, most of them were taken by the small-pox, and several 
died. At the opening of the spring, in May, 1776, a large body of 
British troops arrived at Quebec to relieve the garrison. The Ameri- 
can troops were forced to abandon the blockade, with circumstances 
of great distress and confusion. Warner chose the most difficult 
part of the business, remaining always with the rear, picking up the 
lame and diseased, assisting and encouraging those who were the 
most unable to take care of themselves, and generally keeping but a 
few miles in advance of the British, who were rapidly pursuing the 
retreating Americans from post to post. By steadily pursuing this 
conduct, he brought off most of the invalids ; and with this corps of 
the infirm and diseased, he arrived at Ticonderoga, a few days after 
the body of the army had taken possession of that post. 

Highly approving his extraordinary exertions, the American Con- 
gress, on July 5th, 1776, the day after they had declared inde- 
pendence, resolved to raise a regiment out of the troops which had 
served with reputation in Canada. Warner was appointed colonel; 
Safford lieutenant-colonel of this regiment ; and most of the other 
officers were persons who had been distinguished by their opposition 
to the claims and proceedings of New York. By this appointment 
he was again placed in a situation perfectly agreeable to his inclina- 
tion and genius ; and in conformity to his orders he repaired to Ticon- 
deroga, where he remained till the close of the campaign. 

"On January 16th, 1777, the convention of the New Hampshire 
Grants declared the whole district to be a sovereign and independent 
state, to be known and distinguished ever after by the name of Ver- 
mont. The committee of safety in New York were then sitting, and 
on January 20th, they announced the transaction to Congress, com- 
plaining in high terms of the conduct of Vermont, censuring it as a 
dangerous revolt and opposition to lawful authority ; and at the same 
time remonstrating against the proceedings of Congress in appointing 
Warner to the command of a regiment independent of the legislature, 
and within the bounds of that state ; " especially," said they, " as this 



486 



SETIl WARNER. 



Colonel Warner hath been constantly and invariably opposed to the 
legislature of this state, and hath been, on that account, proclaimed 
an outlaw by the late government thereof. It is absolutely necessary 
to recall the commissions given to Colonel Warner and the officers 
under him, as nothing else will do us justice." No measures were 
taken by Congress at that time, either to interfere in the civil con- 
test between the two states, or to remove the colonel from his com- 
mand. Anxious to effect this purpose, the convention of New York 
wrote further on the subject, on March 1st, and among other things 
declared, " that there was not the least probability that Col. Warner 
could raise such a number of men as would be an object of public 
concern." Congress still declined to dismiss so valuable an officer 
from their service. On June 23d, Congress was obliged to take up 
the controversy between New York and Vermont ; but instead of 
proceeding to disband the colonel's regiment, on June 30th, they 
resolved " that the reason which induced Congress to form that corps, 
was, that many officers of different states who had served in Canada, 
and alleged that they could soon raise a regiment, but were then 
unprovided for, might be reinstated in the service of the United 
States." Nothing can give us a more just idea of the sentiments 
which the American Congress entertained of the patriotic and mili- 
tary virtues of the colonel, than their refusing to give him up to the 
repeated solicitations and demands of so respectable and powerful a 
state, as that of New York. 

W5W HE American army stationed at Ticonde- 

roga were forced to abandon that fortress, 
on July 6, 1777, in a very precipitate 
and irregular manner. The colonel with 
his regiment retreated along the western 
part of Vermont, through the towns of 
Orwell, Sudbury, and Hubbardton. At 
the last of these towns the advanced 
corps of the British army overtook the 
rear of the American troops, on the morn- 
ing of the 7th of July. The American 
army, all but part of three regiments, were gone forward ; these were 
part of Hale's, Francis' and Warner's regiments. The enemy 
attacked them with superior numbers, and the highest prospect of 
success. Francis and Warner opposed them with great spirit and 
vigor ; and no officers or troops could have discovered more courage 
and firmness than they displayed through the whole action. Large 
reinforcements of the enemy arriving, it became impossible to make 
any effectual opposition. Francis fell in a most honorable discharge 




BATTLE OF BENNINGTON. 



487 




of his duty. Hale surrendered with his regiment. Surrounded on 
every side by the enemy, but calm and undaunted, Colonel Warner 
fought his way through all opposition, brought off the troops that 
refused to capitulate with Hale, checked the enemy in their pursuit, 
and contrary to all expectations, arrived safe with his troops at Man- 
chester. To the northward of that town the whole country was 
deserted. The colonel determined to make a stand at that place ; 
encouraged by his example and firmness, a body of the militia soon 
joined him ; and he was once more in a situation to protect the 
inhabitants, harass the enemy, and breakup the advanced parties. 

N the 16th of August, the \icinity of 
Bennington became the seat of a memo- 
rable battle. Colonel Baum had been 
despatched by General Burgoyne to 
attack the American troops and destroy 
the magazines at Bennington. General 
Stark, who commanded at that place, 
had intelligence of the approach of the 
enemy, and sent orders on the morning 
of the 16th, to Colonel Warner, at 
Manchester, to march immediately to his assistance. In the mean 
time, Stark with the troops which were assembled at Bennington, 
had attacked the enemy under Colonel Baum, and after a severe 
action had captured the whole body. Just as the action was finished, 
intelligence was received that a large reinforcement of the enemy 
had arrived. Fatigued and exhausted by so long and severe an 
action, Stark was doubtful whether it was possible for his troops to 
enter immediately upon another battle with a fresh body of the 
enemy. At that critical moment Warner arrived with his troops from 
Manchester. Mortified that he had not been in the action, and 
determined to have some part in the glory of the day, he urged 
Stark immediately to commence another action. Stark consented, 
and the colonel instantly led on his men to battle. The Americans 
rallied from every part of the field, and the second action became as 
fierce and decisive as the first. The enemy gave way in every 
direction ; great numbers of them were slain, and the rest saved 
themselves altogether by the darkness of the night. Stark ascribed 
the last victory very much to Colonels Warner and Herrick ; and 
spoke in the highest terms of their superior information and activity, 
as that to which he principally owed his success. The success at 
Bennington gave a decisive turn to the affairs of that campaign. 
Stark, Warner, and the other officers, with their troops, joined the 
army under General Gates. Victory every where followed the 



488 SETII WARNER. 

attempts of the northern army ; and the campaign terminated in the 
surrender of Burgoyne and his whole army, at Saratoga, on October 
17th, 1777. 

The contest in the northern department being in a great measure 
decided by the capture of Burgoyne, Warner had no farther oppor- 
tunity to discover his prowess in defence of his beloved state; but 
served occasionally at different places on the Hudson river, as the 
circumstances of the war required, and always with reputation. 
Despairing of success in the northers parts, the enemy carried the 
war into the southern states; and neither New York nor Vermont 
any longer remained the places of distinguished enterprise. But 
such had been the fatigues and exertions of the 'colonel, that when he 
returned to his family in Bennington, his constitution, naturally firm 
and vigorous, appeared to be worn down, and nature declined under 
a complication of disorders, occasioned by the excessive labors and 
Bufferings he had passed through. 

Most of those men who have been engaged with uncommon ardor 
in the cause of their country, have been so swallowed up witli the 
patriotic passion, as to neglect that attention to their private interests 
which oilier men pursue as the ruling passion. Thus it proved with 
Colonel Warner; intent at first upon saving a stato, and afterwards 
upon saving a country, his mind was so entirely engaged in those 
pursuits, that he had not made that provision for his family, which 
to most of the politicians and land jobbers was the ultimate end of 
all their measures and exertions. With a view the better to support 
bis family, be removed to Woodbury ; where, in the year 1785, he 
ended an active and useful life, in high estimation among his friends 
and countrymen. 

His family had derived little or no estate from his services. After 
his death they applied to the general assembly of Vermont for a grant 
of land. The assembly, with a spirit of justice and generosity, 
remembered the services of Colonel Warner, took up the petition, 
and granted a valuable tract of land to his widow and family; a 
measure highly honorable to the memory of Colonel Warner and of 
that assembly. 





MAJOR GENERAL GILBERT MOTHER LA FAYETTE. 

HIS illustrious champion of 
the freedom of man was 
born at the Castle of Cha- 
vaniac, in Auvergne, on the 
6th of September, 1757. 
A few months after his birth his father 
was killed at the battle of Minden. As 
Marquis de La Fayette, he was now at 
the head of one of the most ancient and 
distinguished of the noble families of 
France. He was educated at the college of Louis le Grand, in Paris, 
placed at court, as an officer in one of the guards of honor, and at 
the age of seventeen was married to the grand-daughter of the Duke 

489 




490 



GILBERT M . LA FAVETTE, 




Silas Deane 

de Noailles. It was under these circumstances that the young 
Marquis de La Fayette entered upon a career so little to be expected 
of a youth of vast fortune, of high rank, of powerful connexions, at 
the most brilliant and fascinating court in the world. 

" The self-devotion of La Fayette in the cause of America," says 
Mr. Adams, in his eulogy, "was twofold. First, to the people, 
maintaining a bold and seemingly desperate struggle against oppres- 
sion, and for national existence. Secondly, and chiefly, to the prin- 
ciples of their declaration, which then first unfurled before his eyes 
the consecrated standard of human rights. To that standard, with- 
out an instant of hesitation, he repaired. Where it would lead him, 
it is scarcely probable that he himself then foresaw. It was then 
identical with the stars and stripes of the American union, floating 
to the breeze from the Hall of Independence, at Philadelphia. Nor 
sordid avarice, nor vulgar ambition, could point his footsteps to the 



LA FAYETTE OFFERS HIS SERVICES TO FRANKLIN. 491 




La Fayette offering his Services to Dr. Franklin 



pathway leading to that banner. To the love of ease or pleasure 
nothing could be more repulsive. Something may be allowed to the 
beatings of the youthful breast, which make ambition virtue, and 
something to the spirit of military adventure, imbibed from his pro- 
fession, and which he felt in common with many others. France, 
Germany, Poland, furnished to the armies of this union, in our revo- 
lutionary struggle, no inconsiderable number of officers of high rank 
and distinguished merit. The names of Pulaski and De Kalb are 
numbered among the martyrs of our freedom, and their ashes repose 
in our soil side by side with the canonized bones of Warren and of 
Montgomery. To the virtues of La Fayette, a more protracted 
career and happier earthly destinies were reserved. To the moral 
principle of political action, the sacrifices of no other man were 
comparable to his. Youth, health, fortune ; the favor of his king ; 
the enjoyment of ease and pleasure ; even the choicest blessings of 
domestic felicity — he gave them all for toil and danger in a distant 
land, and an almost hopeless cause ; but it was the cause of justice, 
and of the rights of human kind. 

The resolve is firmly fixed, and it now remains to be carried into 
execution. On the 7th of December, 1776, Silas Deane, then a 



492 



GILBERT M. LA FAYETTE. 




La Fayette leaving France. 

secret agent of the American Congress at Paris, stipulates with the 
Marquis de La Fayette that he shall receive a commission, to date 
from that date, of major-general in the army of the United States ; 
and the marquis stipulates, in return, to depart when and how Mr. 
Deane shall judge proper, to serve the United States with all possible 
zeal, without pay or emolument, reserving to himself only the liberty 
of returning to Europe, if his family or his king should recall him. 

Neither his family nor his king were willing that he should depart; 
nor had Mr. Deane the power, either to conclude this contract, or to 
furnish the means of his conveyance to America. Difficulties rise 
up before him only to be dispersed, and obstacles thicken only to be 
surmounted. The day after the signature of the contract, Mr. 
Deane's agency was superseded by the arrival of Doctor Benjamin 
Franklin and Arthur Lee, as his colleagues in commission ; nor did 
they think themselves authorized to confirm his engagement. La 
Fayette is not to be discouraged. The commissioners extenuate no- 
thing of the unpromising condition of their cause. Mr. Deane avows 
his inability to furnish him with a passage to the United Stales. 



BATTLE OF BRANDYWINE. 



493 



' The more desperate the cause,' says La Fayette, ' the greater need 
has it of my services ; and, if Mr. Deane has no vessel for my pass- 
age, I shall purchase one myself, and will traverse the ocean with a 
selected company of my own. 1 

Other impediments arise. His design hecomes known to the Bri- 
tish ambassador at the court of Versailles, who remonstrates to the 
French government against it. At his instance, orders are issued 
for the detention of the vessel purchased by the marquis, and fitted 
out at Bordeaux, and for the arrest of his person. To elude the first 
of these orders, the vessel is removed from Bordeaux to the neigh- 
boring port of passage, within the dominion of Spain. The order 
for his own arrest is executed ; but, by stratagem and disguise, he 
escapes from the custody of those who have him in charge, and, be- 
fore a second order can reach him, he is safe on the ocean wave, 
bound to the land of independence and of freedom. 

It had been necessary to clear out the vessel for an island of the 
West Indies ; but, once at sea, he avails himself of his right as owner 
of the ship, and compels his captain to steer for the shores of eman- 
cipated North America. He lands, with his companions, on the 25th 
of April, 1777, in South Carolina, not far from Charleston, and finds 
a most cordial reception and hospitable welcome in the house of 
Major Huger." 

Immediately on his arrival, La Fayette received the offer of a 
command in the continental army, which he declined, and forthwith 
raised and equipped a body of men at his own expense, and then 
entered the service as a volunteer, without pay. He lived in the 
family of Washington, and soon gained a strong hold in the affec- 
tions of that discriminating judge of character. 

La Fayette was appointed a major-general in July, 1777, and was 
attached to the army at the time when Washington marched to 
Brandywine, with a view to intercept General Howe in his intended 
descent on Philadelphia. In the battle whidh ensued, La Fayette 
was wounded. Mr. Adams thus eloquently notices La Fayette's par- 
ticipation in this affair. 

" Let us pass in imagination a period of only twenty years, and 
alight upon the borders of the river Brandywine. Washington is 
commander-in-chief of the armies of the United States of America 
— war is again raging in the heart of his native land — hostile armies 
of one and the same name, blood, and language, are arrayed for 
battle on the banks of the stream; and Philadelphia, where the 
United States are in Congress assembled, and whence their decree 
of independence has gone forth, is the destined prize to the conflict 
of the day. Who is that tall, slender youth, of foreign air and 



494 



GILBERT M. LA FAYETTE. 






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Lafayette wounded at Erandjwine. 

aspect, scarcely emerged from the years of boyhood, and fresh from 
the walls of a college ; fighting, a volunteer, at the side of Washing- 
ton, bleeding, unconsciously to himself, and rallying his men to 
secure the retreat of the scattered American ranks ? It is Gilbert 
Mottier de La Fayette — the son of the victim of Minden ; and he 
is bleeding in the cause of North American independence, and of 
freedom." 

While associated fvith Washington as a member of his military 
family at his head-quarters on the Brandywine, and on other occa- 
sions, La Fayette had made still further progress in the esteem of his 
illustrious friend. 

" The merits of La Fayette to the eye of Washington," says Mr. 
Adams, " are the candor and generosity of his disposition — the 
indefatigable industry of application, which, in the course of a few 
months, has already given him the mastery of a foreign language — 
good sense — discretion of manners, an attribute not only unusual in 
early years, but doubly rare in alliance with that enthusiasm so 
signally marked by his self-devotion to the American cause ; and, 
to crown all the rest, the bravery and military ardor so brilliantly 



RETREAT AT BARREN HILL. 



495 



manifested at the Brandywine. Here is no random praise. : no 
unmeaning panegyric. The cluster of qualities, all plain and simple, 
but so seldom found in union together, so generally incompatible 
with one another, these are the properties eminently trustworthy, in 
the judgment of Washington ; and these are the properties which 
his discernment has found in La Fayette, and which urge him thus 
earnestly to advise the gratification of his wish by the assignment of 
a command equal to the rank which had been granted to his zeal 
and his illustrious name. 

The recommendation of Washington had its immediate effect ; 
and on the first of December, 1777, it was resolved by Congress, 
that he should be informed it was highly agreeable to Congress, that 
the Marquis de La Fayette should be appointed to the command of a 
division in the continental army. 

He received, accordingly, such an appointment; and a plan was 
organized in Congress for a second invasion of Canada, at the head 
of which he was placed. This expedition, originally projected with- 
out consultation with the commander-in-chief, might be connected 
with the temporary dissatisfaction, in the community and in Con- 
gress, at the ill success of his endeavors to defend Philadelphia, 
which rival and unfriendly partisans were too ready to compare with 
the splendid termination, by the capture of Burgoyne and his army, 
of the northern campaign, under the command of General Gates. To 
foreclose all suspicion of participation in these views, La Fayette 
proceeded to the seat of Congress, and, accepting the important 
charge which it was proposed to assign to him, obtained, at his par 
ticular request, that he should be considered as an officer detached 
from the army of Washington, and to remain under his orders. He 
then repaired in person to Albany, to take command of the troops 
who were to assemble at that place, in order to cross the lakes on 
the ice, and attack Montreal ; but, on arriving at Albany, he found 
none of the promised preparations in readiness — they were never 
effected. Congress some time after relinquished the design, and the 
Marquis was ordered to rejoin the army of Washington. 

In the succeeding month of May, his military talent was displayed 
by the masterly retreat effected in the presence of an overwhelming 
superiority of the enemy's force from the position at Barren Hill. 

He was soon after distinguished at the battle of Monmouth ; and 
in September, 1778, a resolution of Congress declared their high 
sense of his services, not only in the field, but in his exertions to 
conciliate and heal dis'sensions between the officers of the French 
fleet under the command of the Count d'Estaing and some of the 
native officers of our army. These dissensions had arisen in the 



496 



GILBERT M. LA FAYETTE. 




La Fayette at Monmouth. 



first moments of co-operation in the service, and had threatened 
pernicious consequences. 

In the month of April, 1776, the combined wisdom of the Count 
de Vergennes and of Mr. Turgot, the prime minister, and the finan- 
cier of Louis the Sixteenth, had brought him to the conclusion that 
the event most desirable to France, with regard to the controversy 
between Great Britain and her American colonies, was, that the 
insurrection should be suppressed. This judgment, evincing only 
the total absence of all moral considerations, in the estimate, by 
these eminent statesmen, of what was desirable to France, had under- 
gone a great change by the close of the year 1777. The declaration 
of independence had changed the question between the parties. The 
popular feeling of France was all on the side of the Americans. The 
daring and romantic movement of La Fayette, in defiance of the 
government itself, then highly favored by public opinion, was fol- 
fowed by universal admiration. The spontaneous spirit of the people 
gradually spread itself even over the rank corruption of the court ; 
a suspicious and deceptive neutrality succeeded to an ostensible 
exclusion of the insurgents from the ports of France, till the capitu- 
lation of Burgoyne satisfied the casuists of international law at 
Veusailles, that the suppression of the insurrection was no longer the 
most desirable of events ; but that the United States were, de facto, 
sovereign and independent, and that France might conclude a treaty 
of commerce with them, without giving just cause of offence to the 
step-mother country. On the 9th of February, 1778, a treaty of com- 
merce between France and the United States was concluded, and with 
it, on the same day, a treaty of eventual defensive alliance, to take 
effect only in the event of Great Britain's resenting, by war against 
France, the consummation of the commercial treaty. The war 



LA FAYETTE RETURNS TO FRANCE. 



407 




Conclusion of the Treaty with France. 



immediately ensued, and in the summer of 1778, a French fleet, 
under the command of Count d'Estaing, was sent to co-operate with 
the forces of the United States for the maintenance of their inde- 
pendence. 

By these events the position of the Marquis de La Fayette was 
essentially changed. It became necessary for him to reinstate him- 
self in the good graces of his sovereign, offended at his absenting 
himself from his country without permission, but gratified with the 
distinction which he had acquired by gallant deeds in a service now 
become that of France herself. At the close of the campaign of 
1778, with the approbation of his friend and patron, the commander- 
in-chief, he addressed a letter to the president of Congress, repre- 
senting his then present circumstances with the confidence of affection 
and gratitude, observing that the sentiments which bound him to his 
country could never be more properly spoken of than in the presence 
of men who had done so much for their own. "As lono\" continued 
he, " as I thought I could dispose of myself, I made it my pride and 
pleasure to fight under American colors, in defence of a cause which 
I dare more particularly call ours, because I had the good fortune of 
bleeding for her. Now, sir, that France is involved in a war, I am 
urged, by a sense of my duty, as well as by the love of my country, 
to present myself before the king, and know in what manner he 

32 



r-sr-rwffV 



498 GILBERT M. LA FAYETTE. 

judges proper to employ my services. The most agreeable of all 
will always be such as may enable me to serve the common cause 
among those whose friendship I had the happiness to obtain, and 
whose fortune I had the honor to follow in less smiling times. That 
reason, and others, which I leave to the feelings of Congress, engage 
me to beg from them the liberty of going home for the next winter. 

" As long as there were any hopes of an active campaign, I did 
not think of leaving the field ; now, that, I see a very peaceable and 
undisturbed monjent, I take this opportunity of wailing on Con- 
gress." 

In the remainder of the letter he solicited that, in the event of his 
request being granted, he might be considered as a soldier on fur- 
lough, heartily wishing to regain his colors and his esteemed and 
beloved fellow-soldiers. And he closes with a tender of any ser- 
vices which he might be enabled to render to the American cause in 
his own country. 

On the receipt of this letter, accompanied by one from General 
Washington, recommending to Congress, in terms most honorable to 
the Marquis, a compliance with his request, that body immediately 
passed resolutions granting him an unlimited leave of absence, with 
permission to return to the United States at his own most convenient 
time ; that the president of Congress should write him a letter re- 
turning him the thanks of Congress for that disinterested zeal which 
had led him to America, and for the services he had rendered to the 
United States by the exertion of his courage and abilities on many 
signal occasions ; and that the minister plenipotentiary of the United 
States at the court of Versailles should be directed to cause an ele- 
gant sword, with proper devices, to be made, and presented to him 
in the name of the United States. These resolutions were commu- 
nicated to him in a letter expressive, of the sensibility congenial to 
them, from the president of Congress, Henry Laurens. 

He embarked in January, 1779, in the frigate Alliance, at Boston, 
and on the succeeding 12th day of February, presented himself at 
Versailles. Twelve months had already elapsed since the conclusion 
of the treaties of commerce and of eventual alliance between France 
and the United States. They had, during the greater part of that 
time, been deeply engaged in war with a common cause against 
Great Britain, and it was the cause in which La Fayette had been 
shedding his blood ; yet, instead of receiving him with open arms, 
as the pride and ornament of his country, a cold and hollow-hearted 
order was issued to him, not to present himself at court, but to con- 
sider himself under arrest, with permission to receive visits only from 
his relations. This ostensible mark of the royal displeasure was to 



SERVICES IN FRANCE. 



499 




Henry Laurens, 

last eight clays, and La Fayette manifested his sense of it only by a 
letter to the Count de Vergennes, inquiring whether the interdiction 
upon him to receive visits was to be considered as extending to that 
of Doctor Franklin. The sentiment of universal admiration which 
had followed him at his first departure, greatly increased by his 
splendid career of service during the two years of his absence, 
indemnified him for the indignity of the courtly rebuke. 

He remained in France through the year 1779, and returned to 
the scene of action early in the ensuing year. He continued in the 
French service, and was appointed to command the king's own regi- 
ment of dragoons, stationed during the year in various parts of the 
kingdom, and holding an incessant correspondence. with the ministers 
of foreign affairs, and of war, urging the employment of a land and 
naval force in aid of the American cause. " The Marquis de La 
Fayette," says Doctor Franklin, in a letter of the 4th of March, 
1780, to the president of Congress, "who, during his residence in 
France, has been extremely zealous in supporting our cause on all 
occasions, returns again to fight for it. He is infinitely esteemed and 
beloved here, and I am persuaded will do everything in his power to 
merit a continuance of the same affection from America." 

Immediately after his arrival in the United States, it was, on the 
16th of May, 1780, resolved in Congress, that they considered his 
return to America to resume his command, as a fresh proof of the 
disinterested zeal and persevering attachment which have justly 



500 



GILBERT M. LA FAYETTE. 



recommended him to the public confidence and applause, and that 
they received with pleasure a tender of the further services of so 
gallant and meritorious an officer. 

From this time until the termination of the campaign of 1781, 
by the surrender of Lord Cornwallis and his army at Yorktown, 
his service was of incessant activity, always signalized by military 
talents unsurpassed, and by a spirit never to be subdued. At the 
time of the treason of Arnold, La Fayette was accompanying his 
commander-in-chief to an important conference and consultation 
with the French general, Rochambeau ; and then, as in every stage 
of the war, it seemed as if the position which he occupied, his per- 
sonal character, his individual relations with Washington, with the 
officers of both the allied armies, and with the armies themselves, 
had been specially ordered to promote and secure that harmony and 
mutual good understanding indispensable to the ultimate success of 
the common cause. His position, too, as a foreigner by birth, a 
European, a volunteer in the American service, and a person of high 
rank in his native country, pointed him out as peculiarly suited to 
the painful duty of deciding upon the character of the crime, and 
upon the fate of the British officer, the accomplice and victim of the 
detested traitor, Arnold. 

In the early part of the campaign of 178 1, when Cornwallis, with 
an overwhelming force, was spreading ruin and devastation over the 
southern portion of the Union, we find La Fayette, with means 
altogether inadequate, charged with the defence of the territory of 
Virginia. Always equal to the emergencies in which circumstances 
placed him, his expedients for encountering and surmounting the 
obstacles which they cast in his way are invariably stamped with the 
peculiarities of his character. The troops placed under his command 
for the defence of Virginia, were chiefly taken from the eastern regi- 
ments, unseasoned to the climate of the south, and prejudiced against 
it as unfavorable to the health of the natives of the more rigorous 
regions of the north. Desertions became frequent, till they threatened 
the very dissolution of the corps. Instead of resorting to military 
execution to retain his men, he appeals to the sympathies of honor. 
He states, in general orders, the great danger and difficulty of the 
enterprise upon whhh he is about to embark; represents the only 
possibility by which it can promise success, the faithful adherence 
of the soldiers to their chief, and his confidence that they will not 
abandon him. He then adds, that if, however, any individual of the 
detachment was unwilling to follow him, a passport to return to his 
home should be forthwith granted him upon his application. It is 
to a cause like that of American independence that resources like 



. 



SUPPLIES THE TROOPS WITH CLOTHING. 501 

this are congenial. After these general orders, nothing more was 
heard of desertion. The very cripples of the army preferred paying 
for their own transportation, to follow the corps, rather than to 
ask for the dismission which had been made so easily accessible to 
all. 

But how shall the deficiencies of the military chest be supplied 1 
The want of money was heavily pressing upon the service in every 
direction. Where are the sinews of war? How are the troops to 
march without shoes, linen, clothing of all descriptions, and other 
necessaries of life ? La Fayette has found them all. From the 
patriotic merchants of Baltimore he obtains, on the pledge of his 
own personal credit, a loan of money, adequate to the purchase of 
the materials ; and from the fair hands of the daughters of the monu- 
mental city, even then worthy so to be called, he obtains the toil of 
making up the needed garments. 

La Fayette, a youth of twenty-two, was now destined to be opposed 
in strategy to the accomplished veteran general, Earl Cornwallis. 
Undervaluing the talents and resources of his young opponent, the 
earl incautiously wrote to Europe, in a letter which was intercepted, 
" the boy cannot escape me." But the British general reckoned with- 
out his host. 

On being informed that General Philips, in returning up the river, 
had landed at Brandon on the. southern bank, and that Cornwallis 
was marching northward, La Fayette perceived that a junction of 
their forces was intended ; and suspecting that Petersburgh was the 
appointed place of meeting, he endeavored to anticipate them in the 
occupation of that town. But the march of General Philips was 
so rapid that he entered it before him, and frustrated his design. 
La Fayette, with his little army, consisting of one thousand conti- 
nentals, two thousand militia, and sixty dragoons, took a position at 
Richmond, and exerted himself in removing the military stores to 
places of greater security. 

On the 24th of May, Cornwallis left Petersburgh, crossed James 
river at Westover, thirty miles below La Fayette's encampment, and, 
being joined by a reinforcement from New York, marched at the 
head of upwards of four thousand veterans towards Richmond. But 
La Fayette evacuated that town on the 27th, and retired towards the 
back country ; inclining his march towards the north, so that he 
might easily form a junction with General Wayne, who was hasten- 
ing to reinforce him with eight hundred men of the Pennsylvania 
line. Cornwallis eagerly pursued his retreating foe as far as the 
upper part of Hanover county ; but finding it impossible to overtake 
La Fayette, or to prevent his junction with General Wayne, he at 



502 



GILBERT M. LA FAYETTE. 



length altered the course of his march, and turned his thoughts to 
more attainable objects. 

In Virginia the British committed fearful devastations, and de- 
stroyed much valuable property ; but Cornwallis, though at the head 
of a superior army, gained no important advantage over his opponent. 
He had pushed La Fayette across the Rappahannock, but was unable 
to prevent his junction with General Wayne, which was accomplished 
at Racoon ford on the 7th of June. La Fayette, thus reinforced 
immediately repassed the Rappahannock, and advanced towards the 
British army. 

In the course of those movements Cornwallis had got completely 
between the marquis and the stores of the state, which were deposited 
at different places, but principally at Albemarle Old Court-house 
high up the Fluvanna, on the south side of the river. Those stores 
were an object of importance to both armies ; and, early in June, the 
British commander, after having dispensed with the services of 
Arnold, and allowed him to return to New York, directed his march 
to Albemarle Court-house. La Fayette was anxious to preserve his 
magazines ; and, while the British army was more than a day's march 
from Albemarle Court-house, by a rapid and unexpected movement 
he suddenly appeared in its vicinity. The British general easily 
penetrated his design ; and, being between him and his magazines, 
took a position near the road, so that he could attack him with 
advantage if he attempted to advance. During the night, however, 
La Fayette discovered and cleared a nearer but long disused road, 
and passed the British army unobserved ; and, in the morning, 
Cornwallis, with surprise and mortification, saw his adversary strongly 
posted between him and the stores. 

Perceiving that the Americans could not be attacked unless under 
great disadvantages, and believing their force greater than it really 
was, Cornwallis abandoned his enterprise and began a retrograde 
movement, and, in two night marches, fell back upwards of fifty 
miles. On the 17th of June he entered Richmond, but left on the 
20th, and continued his route to Williamsburgh, where the main 
body of his army arrived on the 25th. 

The American army followed him at a cautious distance. On the 
19th, La Fayette was joined by Baron Steuben with his detachment, 
which increased the American army to four thousand men ; of whom 
two thousand were^regulars, but only fifteen hundred were disciplined 
troops. That of Cornwallis appears to have been somewhat more 
numerous, and consisted entirely of veterans : it was also provided 
with a w r ell-mounted body of calvary, which had spread terror and 
devastation over the country, and greatly intimidated the militia. 



EXPLOIT AT THE SIEGE OF YORK TOWN. 505 

Though La Fayette kept about twenty miles behind the main body 
of the British arn^, yet his light parties hung on its rear, and skir- 
mishes occasionally ensued. A sharp encounter happened near 
Williamsburgh between the advanced guard of the Americans, under 
Colonel Butler, and the rear guard of the British under Colonel 
Simcoe, in which both suffered considerable loss. Part of the 
British army marched to Colonel Simcoe's assistance, and the 
Americans were obliged to retreat. Although La Fayette encouraged 
skirmishes and partial conflicts, yet, distrusting his new levies and 
militia, he cautiously avoided a general battle. While the British 
army remained at Williamsburgh, the Americans occupied a strong 
encampment twenty miles from that place."' 

Our limits will not permit us to follow the subsequent operations 
of La Fayette in Virginia. The result was that Cornwallis was 
finally driven into Yorktown and besieged by the combined armies 
of France and the United States under Count Rochambeau and 
General Washington. One exploit of La Fayette at the siege, 
however, must not be passed over. 

" On the night of the 1 1th of October, 178 1, the besiegers, laboring 
with indefatigable perseverance, began their second parallel, three 
hundred yards nearer the British works than the first ; and the three 
succeeding days were assiduously employed in completing it. During 
that interval the fire of the garrison was more destructive than at any 
other period of the siege. The men in the trenches were particularly 
annoyed by two redoubts towards the left of the British works, and 
about two hundred yards in front of them. Of these it was neces- 
sary to gain possession; and on the 14th preparations were made 
to carry them both by storm. In order to avail himself of the spirit 
of emulation which existed between the troops of the two nations, 
and to avoid any cause of jealousy to either, the attack of the one 
redoubt was committed to the French ; and that of the other to the 
Americans. The latter were commanded by the Marquis de La 
Fayette ; and the former by the Baron de Viominel. 

On the evening of the 14th, as soon as it was dark, the parties 
marched to the assault with unloaded aims. The redoubt which the 
Americans attacked was defended by a major, some inferior officers, 
and forty-five privates. The assailants advanced with such rapidity 
without returning a shot to the heavy fire with which they were 
received, that in a few minutes they were in possession of the work, 
having had eight men killed, and twenty-eight wounded in the 
attack. Eight British privates were killed ; the major, a captain, 
an ensign, and seventeen privates were made prisoners. The rest 
escaped. Although the Americans were highly exasperated by the 



506 



GILBERT M. LA FAYETTE. 




recent massacre of their countrymen in Fort Griswold by Arnold's 
detachment, yet not a man of the British was injured after resistance 
ceased. Retaliation had been talked of, but was not exercised. 

The French party advanced with equal courage and rapidity, and 
were successful ; but as the fortification which they attacked was 
occupied by a greater force, the defence was more vigorous, and the 
loss of the assailants more severe. There were one hundred and 
twenty men in the redoubt ; of whom eighteen were killed, and forty- 
two taken prisoners ; the rest made their escape. The French lost 
nearly one hundred men killed or wounded. During the night these 
two redoubts wore included in the second parallel ; and, in the course 
of next day, some howitzers were placed on them, which in the after- 
noon opened on the besieged. 

Earl Cornwallis and his garrison had done all that brave men could 
do to defend their post. But the industry of the besiegers was per- 
severing, and their, approaches rapid. The condition of the British 
was becoming desperate. In every quarter their works were torn to 
pieces by the fire of the assailants. The batteries already playing 
upon them had nearly silenced all their guns ; and the second paral- 
lel was about to open on them, which in a few hours would render 
the place untenable. His attempt to escape by crossing the river on 
the 1 6th was unsuccessful. 

At ten in the forenoon of the 17th, Earl Cornwallis sent out a flag 
of truce, with a letter to General Washington, proposing a cessation 
of hostilities for twenty-four hours, in order to give time to adjust 
terms for the surrender of the forts at Yorktown and Gloucester 
Point. To this letter the American general immediately returned 
an answer, expressing his ardent desire to spare the further effusion 
of blood, and his readiness to listen to such terms as were admis- 



STJRSENDEE OF COHNWALLIS. 



507 




l^oore's House at l orktowai. 



sible ; but that he could not consent to lose time in fruitless negotia- 
tions, and desired that, previous to the meeting of commissioners, 
his lordship's proposals should be transmitted, in writing, for which 
purpose a suspension of hostilities for two hours should be granted. 
The terms offered by Lord Cornwallis, although not all deemed 
admissible, were such as induced the opinion that no great difficulty 
would occur in adjusting the conditions of capitulation ; and the 
suspension of hostilities was continued through the night. Mean- 
while, in order to avoid the delay of useless discussion, General 
Washington drew up and transmitted to Earl Cornwallis such 
articles as he was willing to grant, informing his lordship that, if he 
approved of them, commissioners might be immediately appointed to 
reduce them to form. Accordingly, Viscount Noailles and Lieu- 
tenant-colonel Laurens, whose father was then a prisoner in the 
Tower of London, on the 18th met Colonel Dundas and Major Ross 
of the British army at Moore's house, in the rear of the first paral- 
lel. They prepared a rough draught, but were unable definitively to 
arrange the terms of capitulation. The draught was to be submitted 
to Earl Cornwallis : but General Washington, resolved to admit of 
no delay, directed the articles to be transcribed ; and, on the morning 
of the 19th, sent them to his lordship, with a letter expressing his 
expectation that they would be signed by eleven, and that the garri- 
son would march out at two in the afternoon. Finding that no better 
terms could be obtained, Earl Cornwallis submitted to a painful 
necessity; and, on the 19th of October, surrendered the posts of 
Yorktown and Gloucester Point to the combined armies of America 



508 



GILBERT M. LA FAYETTE. 



and France, on condition that his troops snould receive the same 
honors of war which had been granted to the garrison of Charlestown, 
when it surrendered to Sir Henry Clinton. The army, artillery, 
arms, accoutrements, military chest, and public stores of every 
description, were surrendered to General Washington ; the ships in 
the harbor and the seamen to Count de Grasse. 

This was the last vital struggle of the war, which, however, lin- 
gered through another year rather of negotiation than of action. 
Immediately after the capitulation at Yorktown, La Fayette asked 
and obtained again a leave of absence to visit his family and his 
country, and with this closed his military service in the field, during 
the revolutionary war. But it was not for the individual enjoyment 
of his renown that he returned to France. The resolutions of Con- 
gress accompanying that which gave him a discretionary leave of 
absence, while honorary in the highest degree to him, were equally 
marked by a grant of virtual credentials for negotiation, and by the 
trust of confidential powers, together with a letter of the warmest 
commendation of the gallant soldier to the favor of his king. The 
ensuing year was consumed in preparations for a formidable combined 
French and Spanish expedition against the British Islands in the 
West Indies, and particularly the Island of Jamaica ; thence to 
recoil upon New York, and to pursue the offensive war into Canada. 
The fleet destined for this gigantic undertaking was already assem- 
bled at Cadiz ; and La Fayette, appointed the chief of the staff, was 
there ready to embark upon this perilous adventure, when, on the 
30th of November, 1782, the preliminary treaties of peace were 
concluded between his Britannic Majesty on one part, and the allied 
powers of France, Spain, and the United States of America, on the 
other. The first intelligence of this event received by the American 
Congress was in the communication of a letter from La Fayette. 

The importance of his services in France may be seen by consult- 
ing his letters in the Correspondence of the American Revolution, 
(Boston, 183 I.) 

La Fayette now r received pressing invitations to revisit this country. 
Washington, in particular, urged it strongly ; and for the third time 
he landed in the United Slates, August 4, 1784. On his arrival, he 
was received with all the warmth of old friendship by General Wash- 
ington, at Mount Vernon. 

He subsequently visited Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Bos- 
ton and the other principal places in the country, and was everywhere 
received with the greatest enthusiasm and delight. 

Previous to his return to France, Congress appointed a deputation, 
consisting of one member from each state, " to take leave of him 



LA FAYETTE RETURNS TO FRANCE. 



509 




Mount Vernon. 



on behalf of the country," and assure him " that these United States 
regard him with particular affection, and will not cease to feel an 
interest in whatever may concern his honor and prosperity." 

He returned to France, and arrived at Paris on the 25th of January, 
1785. 

He continued to take a deep interest in the concerns of the United 
States, and exerted his influence with the French government to 
obtain reductions of duties favorable to their commerce and fisheries. 
In the summer of 1786, he visited several of the German courts, 
and attended the last great review by Frederick the Second of his 
veteran army — a review unusually splendid, and specially remarkable 
by the attendance of many of the most distinguished military com- 
manders of Europe. In the same year the legislature of Virginia 
manifested the continued recollection of his services rendered to the 
people of that commonwealth, by a complimentary token of gratitude 
not less honorable than it was unusual. They resolved that two 
busts of La Fayette, to be executed by the celebrated sculptor, 
Houdon, should be procured at their expense ; that one of them 
should be placed in their own legislative hall, and the other pre- 
sented, in their name, to the municipal authorities of the city of 
Paris. It was accordingly presented by Mr. Jefferson, then minister 
plenipotentiary of the United States in France, and, by the permis- 
sion of Louis the Sixteenth, was accepted, and, with appropriate 
solemnity, placed in one of the halls of the Hotel de Ville of the 
metropolis of France. • 

After his return to his native country, La Fayette was engaged in 



510 



GILBERT M. LA FATETTE. 




Frederick the Great. 

endeavoring to mitigate the condition of the Protestants in France, 
and to effect the abolition of slavery. In the assembly of the nota- 
bles, in 1787, he proposed the suppression of lettrea de cachet, and 
of the state-prisons, the emancipation of the Protestants, and the 
convocation of the representatives of that nation. When asked by 
the Count d'Artois, since Charles X., if he demanded the States- 
General — " Yes," was his reply, " and something better." Being 
elected a member of the States-General, which took the name of 
National Assemlty, (1789,) he proposed a declaration of rights, and 
the decree providing for the responsibility of the officers of the 
crown. 

The first movements of the people in the state of insurrection, 
took place on the 12th of July, 1789, and issued in the destruction 
of the Bastile, and in the murder of its governor, and of several other 
persons, hung up at lamp-posts or torn to pieces by the frenzied 
multitude, without form of trial, and without shadow of guilt. 

The Bastile had long been odious as the place of confinement of 
persons arrested by arbitrary orders for offences against the govern- 
*ment, and its destruction was hailed by most of the friends of liberty 
throughout the world as an act of patriotism and magnanimity on 
the part, of the people. The brutal ferocity of the murders was 
overlooked or palliated in the glory of the achievement of razing to 
its foundations the execrated citadel of despotism. But as the 
summary justice of insurrection can manifest itself only by destruc- 
tion, the example once'fcet, became a precedent for a series of years 



J 



APPOINTED COMMANDER OF NATIONAL GUARDS. 511 




Capture of the Bastiie. 

for scenes so atrocious, and for butcheries so merciless and horrible, 
that memory revolts at the task of recalling them to the mind. 

Two days after the attack on the Bastiie, La Fayette was appointed 
(July 14,) commander-in-chief of the national guards of Paris. The 
court and national assembly were still at Versailles, and the popu- 
lace of Paris, irritated at this, had already adopted, in sign of oppo- 
sition, a blue and red cockade, (being the colors of the city of Paris,) 
July 26th. La Fayette added to this cockade the white of the royal 
arms, declaring at the same time, that the tri-color should go round 
the world. 

On the march of the populace to Versailles, (October 5th and 6th,) 
the national guards clamored to be led thither. La Fayette refused 
to comply with their demand, until, having received orders in the 
afternoon, he set off and arrived at ten o'clock, after having been 
on horseback from before daylight. He requested that the interior 
posts of the chateau might be committed to him ; but this request 
was refused, and the outer posts only were intrusted to the national 
guards. This was the night on which the assassins murdered two 
of the queen's guards, and were proceeding to further acts of violence, 
when La Fayette, at the head of the national troops, put an end to 
the disorder, and saved the lives of the royal family. In the morning 
he accompanied them to Paris. 

La Fayette voted in the assembly for the institution of the jury, 
for the suppression of hereditary nobility, for the political equality of 
all citizens, &c. Mistrusting the effect of individual ambition in 
revolutionary times, he moved and carried a resolution to the effect 
that the same person should not have the command of the national 
guards of more than one department at once. He himself, refused the 
appointment of lieutenant-general of the kingdom. In conjunction 



512 



GILBERT M. LA FAYETTE. 




La Fayette Commander of the National Guard. 

with Bailly, he instituted the club of the Feuillans, which supported 
the. constitutional monarchy on a popular basis. After the king's 
forced return from the flight of Varennes, La Fayette supported the 
decree by which the king was restored to the exercise of his regal 
office on swearing to the new constitution. Upon this, the repub- 
lican party broke out into an insurrection, which La Fayette and the 
national guards put down on the Champ de Mars. Soon afterwards 
La Fayette gave in his resignation, and retired into the country ; 
but the war of the first coalition having begun, he was appointed 
to the command of the army of Flanders, and he defeated the allies 
at Phillipeville and Mauberge. He was, however, hated by the 
Jacobins at Paris, and mistrusted by the court. On the 16th of 
June, 1792, he wrote a strong letter to the legislative assembly, 
denouncing the plots of those men, " who, under the mask of demo- 
cratic zeal, smothered liberty under the excess of their license." 

He soon after repaired to Paris, and demanded of the lagislative 
assembly the punishment of the outrages committed against the 
king at the Tuileries, on the 20th of June. But the republican 
party was already preponderating in the assembly, and La Fayette 
found he was not safe in Paris. It is said, that he then proposed to 
the king and the royal family, to take shelter in his camp at Com- 
piegne ; but the advice was rejected by Louis, or rather by those 
around him, who placed all their confidence in the Duke of Bruns- 
wick and the Prussians. 

On the 30th of June, the Jacobins of Paris burnt La Fayette in 
effigy in the Palais Royal. La Fayette having returned to his camp, 
publicly expressed to his officers his disapprobation of the attack on 
the Tuileries of the 10th of August, and on the 15th of that month, 
he arrested the commissioners sent by the legislative assembly to 



IMPRISONED AT OLMUTZ. 



513 




La Fayette imprisoned at Olmutz. 



watch him. Upon this he was outlawed, and was obliged to cross 
the frontiers with a few friends. How far was La Fayette at that 
moment of disappointed patriotism and deep mortification, from 
imagining that, when all the bloody scenes and disgraceful cabals of 
the French revolution should have passed away, he would once more 
become the idol of his fickle countrymen. 

His first intention on leaving the French court, was to repair to 
some neutral country, but he was arrested by the Austrians, and 
carried to the fortress of Olmutz, in Moravia, where his wife and 
daughter soon after joined him, to console him in his confinement. 
He remained in prison for five years, and was released at last by the 
treaty of Campo-Formio, but not approving of the arbitrary conduct 
of the Directory he repaired to Hamburgh, and did not return to 
France till after the 19th Brumaire, 1799. Here he found himself 
again in opposition to Bonaparte's ambition, and he voted against the 
consulship for life, refused all employment under that chief, and re- 
tired to the country, where he applied himself to agricultural pursuits. 

In 1815, he was returned to the house of representatives convoked 
by Napoleon, on his return from Elba. After the defeat at Water- 
loo, he spoke strongly against any attempt to establish a dictatorship, 
and moved that the house should declare its sittings permanent, and 
that any attempt to dissolve it should be considered as treason. 

When Lucien appealed to the assembly not to forsake his brother 
in his adversity, La Fayette replied with great animation, " We have 
followed your brother through the burning sands of Syria, as well as 
to the frozen deserts of Russia ; the bleached bones of two millions 
of Frenchmen scattered all over the globe attest our devotion to 
him ; but that devotion," he added, " is now exhausted, as his cause 
is no longer the cause of the nation." 

33 



514 



GILBERT M. LA FAYETTE. 




Napoleon. 

After the forced dissolution of the legislative assembly by the allied 
troops, La Fayette protested against that violence, and retired to his 
country residence at Lagrange. In 1818, he was returned after a 
great struggle to the chamber of deputies for the department of La 
Sarthe. During that and the following session he spoke in favor 
of constitutional liberty, and against exceptional laws, but to no 
effect. 

In August, 1824, he landed at New York, on a visit to the United 
States, upon the invitation of the president, and was received, in 
every part of the country, with the wannest expressions of delight 
and enthusiasm. He was proclaimed by the popular voice, " the 
guest of the nation," and his presence was everywhere the signal for 
festivals and rejoicings. He passed through the twenty-four states 
of the Union in a sort of triumphal procession, in which all parties 
joined to forget their dissensions, in which the veterans of the war 
renewed their youth, and the young were carried back to the doings 
and sufferings of their fathers. Having celebrated, at Bunker Hill, 
the anniversary of the first conflict of the revolution, and, at York- 
town, that of its closing scene, in which he himself had borne so 
conspicuous a part, and taken leave of the four ex-presidents of the 
United States, he received the farewell of the President in the name 



DEATH OF LA FAYETTE. 



517 



of the nation, and sailed from the capital in a frigate named, in com- 
pliment to him, the Brandywine, September 7, 1825, and arrived at 
Havre, where the citizens, having peaceably assembled to make some 
demonstration of their respect for his character, were dispersed by 
the gendarmerie. In December preceding, the Congress of the 
United States made him a grant of two hundred thousand dollars 
and a township of land, " in consideration of his important services 
and expenditures during the American revolution." The grant of 
money was in the shape of stock, bearing interest at six per cent., 
and redeemable December 31, 1834. In August, 1827, he attended 
the obsequies of Manuel, over whose body he pronounced a eulogy. 
In November, 1827, the chamber of deputies was dissolved. La 
Fayette was again returned a member by the new elections. 

In 1830, being in the house of deputies, he was foremost among 
the members who resisted the arbitrary ordonnances of Charles X. 
He then called out again the national guards, and placed himself at 
their head. Faithful to his old constitutional principles, he proposed 
Louis Philippe as King of the French, stating his conviction that a 
monarchy, based on popular institutions, was the government best 
suited to France. During the trials of the ex-ministers, he exerted 
himself zealously to save them from popular fury. Of the subse- 
quent differences between him and Louis Philippe concerning views 
of foreign and domestic policy, several versions have been given. 
La Fayette died at Paris on the 20th of May, 1834, and his funeral 
took place on the 28th of the same month, being attended by nume- 
rous friends, foreigners as well as French peers and deputies, who 
showed the high sense which they entertained of the character of 
the deceased. He was interred, according to his own direction, in 
the same grave with his wife. " He was," says an English writer, 
" one of the few public men whose character passed unscathed 
through the ordeal of half a century of revolution." This is no 
slight praise. It was fairly earned by qualities not often combined, 
chivalry and prudence, high daring and cool judgment, courtly grace 
and stern honesty and integrity of purpose. La Fayette lived long 
enough to see thousands of powerful enemies swept into oblivion ; 
and he performed services enough to mankind to receive the un- 
bounded gratitude of Europe and America. 





BRIGADIER GENERAL HENRY LEE. 




HIS distinguished officer was born in Vir- 
ginia, on the 29th of January, 1756, and 
completed his education at Princeton Col- 
lege, where he graduated in the year 1774. 
Two years afterwards he was appointed, at 
the instance of Patrick Henry, commander 
of one of six companies of cavalry, raised in 
his native state, under the command of Colo- 
nel Bland. As General Washington stood in 
much need of reinforcements, the Virginia legislature tendered the 
services of these companies to Congress, who accepted the offer, 
and they joined the army in September, 1777. The young captain, 
serving under the eye of the commander-in-chief, rapidly acquired 
his esteem and confidence by soldierly conduct, and the strict disci- 
pline maintained in his ranks. The constant attention which he 
bestowed upon the horses and equipments of his soldiers, enabled 
him at all times to move with celerity, which with cavalry, is one 
of the first elements of success. Captain Lee's merit is sufficiently 
attested by the fact that General Washington selected his company 
to be his body guard in the battle of Germantown. 

Being generally employed in the vicinity of the British lines, a 
plan was formed by the enemy to surprise and cut off him and his 

518 



JOINS THE ARMY IN THE SOUTH. 519 

troop. In the latter part of January, 1778, he was surrounded 
in his quarters, a stone house, by two hundred of the enemy's 
cavalry. Ten of his men only were in the house with him, four who 
acted as patrols having been captured by the enemy as he approached, 
and the others being absent in search of forage. He however 
defended the house resolutely, and the enemy were obliged to retreat 
with the loss of four men killed, four wounded, and several horses. 
Captain Lee had only two of his men wounded, and the patrols and 
a quartermaster-sergeant who was out of the house, made prisoners. 
General Washington complimented and congratulated him upon his 
escape, in a private letter, and Congress rewarded him for his con- 
duct upon this and other occasions, with a commission as major. He 
was assigned the command of an independent partisan corps of two 
troops of horse, which was afterwards increased by the addition of 
another cavalry company and a body of infantry. 

In command of this corps, on the 19th of July, 1779, he surprised 
the British post of Povvles Hook, and captured the garrison of a 
hundred and sixty men, with the loss of only two killed and three 
wounded. The humanity of Major Lee was conspicuously displayed 
in the kindness shown to the prisoners at this time, when the cruel 
conduct of the enemy had given ample cause for retaliation. His 
" prudence, address, and bravery," in this affair, were rewarded by 
Congress with a gold medal. 

In 17 80, he was sent with his legion to the south, where he joined 
the army under General Greene. He had previously been raised to 
the rank of lieutenant-colonel. His legion formed the rear-guard of 
General Greene's army during the celebrated retreat of that officei 
before Lord Cornwallis. On one occasion, a sharp action took place 
between his corps and that of the British Colonel Tarleton. In his 
charge, Colonel Lee killed eighteen of Tarleton's dragoons, and 
made a captain and fifteen privates prisoners. Having effected his 
escape into Virginia, General Greene sent Colonels Lee and Pickens 
into North Carolina, to encourage the patriots in that state, and to 
keep a watch upon the movements of Lord Cornwallis. In the per- 
formance of this duty, he formed a plan to surprise Colonel Tarleton. 
On the march to attack that officer, the legion encountered several 
messengers, sent by Colonel Pylc, a zealous tory, to apprise Tarle- 
ton of his situation, and his anxiety to join him with four hundred 
royalists under his command. The dragoons mistook Colonel Lee's 
legion for that of Tarleton, and freely communicated their intelli- 
gence. Colonel Lee attempted to profit by the error, and would have 
captured the whole of the royalist force without bloodshed, had they 
not discovered some of the militia under Pickens, and commenced a 




520 HENRY LEE. 

fire. A short conflict ensued, in which ninety of the enemy were 
slain, many wounded, and the remainder dispersed. Colonel Lee 
particularly distinguished himself at the battle of Guilford Court- 
house, repulsing with loss, the onset of Tarleton's dragoons, and 
afterwards maintained a separate action on the American left, keep- 
ing the enemy at bay until ordered to retreat. 

ETWEEN the time of this action and that at Camden 
he was very successful in capturing the enemy's forts. 
Afterwards he marched to aid Pickens in takin^ Au- 
gusta in Georgia, whose commander Colonel Brown had 
rendered himself obnoxious to the Americans. The 
fort was taken, and Brown would have been made to 
expiate his offences with death, but for the precau- 
tions of Colonel Lee, who caused a company of his legion to guard 
him until he could be placed in safety. On his way to Augusta, Lee 
had surprised Fort Godolphin, and taken a large quantity of military 
stores. He now marched to join General Greene in besieging 
Ninety-Six, and when the approach of Lord Rawdon made it neces- 
sary to capture that place by storm or raise the siege, he led one of 
the assaulting columns. He was completely successful, but the other 
column failed to accomplish its object, and the siege was ended by the 
retreat of General Greene. At Eutaw Springs, he was conspicuous 
for his good conduct at the head of his infantry. He was sent 
directly afterwards on a special mission to the commander-in-chief, 
to request him to prevail on the Count de Grasse to co-operate in an 
attack upon Charleston. He arrived at Yorktown a few days before 
the surrender of Cornwallis, and returned to the south after witness- 
ing that ceremony. He soon afterwards retired from the army and 
married Matilda, the daughter of Philip Ludwell Lee, on whose 
estate in Westmoreland county he settled. He carried with him in 
his retirement the esteem and confidence of General Greene, who 
stated that his services had been greater than those of any one man 
attached to the southern army. From 1786 until the adoption of the 
federal constitution he represented Virginia in Congress ; and he was 
a member of the convention of that state which ratified that consti- 
tution. He afterwards served as a member of the legislature of 
Virginia, and in 1792, was elected governor of that state. In 1795, 
he was sent by Washington to quell the formidable whiskey insur- 
rection in Pennsylvania, which he effected without bloodshed. He 
was honored by being appointed a general in the army organ- 
ized by Washington in anticipation of the war with France. In 
1799, he was again chosen as a representative to Congress, and 
while there, selected to pronounce a funeral eulogium on Washing- 



DEATH OF GENERAL LEE. 521 

ton. In that production he originated the celebrated summary of 
the virtues of the deceased, — " First in war, first in peace, and first 
in the hearts of his countrymen." 

Pecuniary embarrassments, the result of his extravagant hospi- 
tality, greatly distressed him during the last years of his life. Con- 
fined within the bounds of Spottsylvania county on account of 
pecuniary obligations, in 1809, he produced his famous history of 
the southern campaigns, a work of great value as the bold and manly 
record of an eye-witness and principal actor. 

In 18 14, General Lee happened to be in Baltimore, where he took 
part in the defence of a house, the publication office of an obnoxious 
paper, against the assaults of a mob. Fire-arms were employed by 
the defenders, and two of the assailants were killed and others 
wounded. The military arriving effected a compromise, and the 
defenders were placed for safety in the Baltimore jail. But the mob 
reassembled in the night, attacked the jail, forced the doors, and 
murdered or mangled its inmates. General Lee was severely 
wounded. Finding that his health decayed in consequence, he went 
to the West Indies in the hope of restoring it, but his expectations 
were not realized. He returned to the United States in 1818, and 
died on the 25th of March in that year, on Cumberland Island, near 
St. Mary's, Georgia, at the residence of General Greene's daughter, 
Mrs. Shaw. 








MAJOR GENERAL LACHLIN McINTOSH. 




ACHLIN McINTOSH was born at 
Borlam, near Inverness, in Scotland, 
in the year 1727, being the second 
son of the leader of the Borlam branch of the 
Mcintosh clan. His father participated in the 
rebellion of 1715, though only fourteen years 
of age, and its unsuccessful termination brought 
ruin upon his house. In abject poverty, he re- 
QdC^^^ZL/^J mained near his former estates until 1736, when 
he was invited to Georgia by General Ogle- 
thorpe, where he arrived in February of the following year. He took 
part in Oglethorpe's expedition to Florida, commanding a company 
of Highlanders, which suffered severely from its obstinate bravery. 
Captain Mcintosh himself was severely wounded, taken prisoner, 
and sent to Spain, whence he only returned after several years con- 
finement, to die of a broken constitution in the arms of his family. 
General Oglethorpe, on his return, placed the two oldest sons of 
Captain Mcintosh in his regiment as cadets, and would, in due time, 
have procured commissions for them. But he was recalled to Eng- 
land during the preparations that were making to meet the expected 
rebellion of 174 5, and just as he was on the point of sailing, he 
detected William and Lachlin Mcintosh, the latter then but thirteen 

532 



JOINS THE ARMY. 523 

years of age, secreted on board another vessel, in which they meant 
to reach Scotland, and make an effort to re-establish the fallen for- 
tunes of their own house, in the service of the Stuarts. The general 
had them brought into his own cabin, showed them his duty as an 
officer of the British government, and the hopelessness of the efforts 
of the Stuarts, and then reminding them of his affection for his 
father and themselves, besought them to return on shore and keep 
their own secret, promising on his own part silence and oblivion. 
They gave him their word, and parted with him for ever. 

Lachlin Mcintosh afterwards went to Charleston, where he was 
taken into the family and counting-room of Henry Laurens. He 
remained there some years, when he abandoned the pursuits of trade, 
returned to Georgia, married, and supported himself by a new pro- 
fession, that of general land surveyor. He soon obtained indepen- 
dence in the pursuit of his business, but his life was ruffled by a 
constant series of persecutions from Governor Wright, of Georgia, 
whose enmity he incurred by his advocacy of the rights of citizens 
of South Carolina to lands under Governor Wright's jurisdiction. 

This train of injuries prepared him early for the approaching con- 
flict, and he was universally regarded as the man who should lead 
the troops which Georgia might raise for the revolution. When hos- 
tilities commenced, he commanded the first regiment that was raised, 
and when this force was increased he became brigadier-general. A 
difference of opinion as to the course to be pursued with regard to 
the royalists, made Button Gwinnett, then governor of Georgia, to be 
his enemy, and again he suffered severely from the enmity and hatred 
of the civil authority. Gwinnett had offered himself as commander 
of the Georgia forces, when Mcintosh was chosen, and disappointed 
ambition added force to his vindictive feelings. William Mcintosh, 
who had raised a company of cavalry almost wholly at his own ex- 
pense, became disgusted at the tyranny exhibited towards his brother, 
and threw up his command. But Lachlin was more cool ; he waited 
until the term of Gwinnett's office expired, and then told him what 
was his opinion of him and his actions. Gwinnett challenged him. 
Both fired with pistols at eight feet, and both were wounded severely. 
Gwinnett died. After his recovery, Mcintosh asked and received 
permission to join the central army, under General Washington, 
whose confidence he soon succeeded in acquiring. The commander- 
in-chief having learned his merit, requested him to undertake the 
difficult task of defending the frontiers of Pennsylvania and Virginia 
against the Indians, and though it took him from the prospect of 
military distinction to an inglorious but most dangerous defensive 
war, his sense of duty to the country made him accept the appoint- 



524 LACHLIN MACINTOSH. 

mcnt. Under his command the people knew repose, and the Indians 
were taught to respect the arms of the colonies. Yet he had but a 
few hundred men, and his opponents were the same Indians who had 
before defeated Braddock, and who afterwards ruined the armies of 
Harmar and St. Clair. 

General Mcintosh was recalled, just as he was about to make an 
attempt upon Detroit, in order to take part in the ill-omened attack 
upon Savannah. Had it not been for the self-sufficiency of Count 
d'Estaing, the commanding officer, that city might have been taken ; 
as it was, the expedition utterly failed. The French troops and 
fleet went to sea ; the Americans, under Generals Lincoln and 
Mcintosh, fell back upon Charleston, where they were almost imme- 
diately besieged by General Clinton. The gallant defence and final 
capitulation of the city, not only reflected honor upon the defenders, 
but it closed in a great measure the military life of General Mcintosh, 
who did not resume his command after the end of his detention as a 
prisoner. When he was released, he retired with his family to Vir- 
ginia, carrying with him a recommendation to the state, in the shape 
of a letter to Governor Jefferson, signed by two general officers, six- 
teen field officers, and one hundred officers of lower grade. They 
begged that he might be treated in every respect as an officer of 
the Virginia line, entitled to lands and other emoluments and advan- 
tages, given for the encouragement of officers, as well on account 
of his uncommon sufferings and sacrifices on behalf of the service, 
as for his conduct in command of a part of the Virginia line, and 
the services he had rendered on the frontiers of Virginia. 

General Mcintosh remained in Virginia with his family until the 
British troops were driven from Savannah. When he returned to 
Georgia, he found his personal property had been all wasted, and his 
real estate diminished in value. He lived in retirement and in some 
degree of poverty, until his death, which occurred at Savannah, in 
1806 in his seventy-ninth year. 





GENERAL JAMES JACKSON. 



AMES JACKSON was born at Moreton-Hampstead, 
n] in Devonshire, England, September 21st, 1757. 
He inherited the most republican principles from 
his father, and with the permission of that parent, 
joyfully sought for a home in the new world, where 
-- he might be upon an equality with his fellow men. 
He came to Georgia in 1772, and commenced read- 
ing law in the office of Samuel Farley, a celebrated 
attorney. His studies were interrupted by the 
breaking out of the revolution ; he warmly espoused 
the cause of liberty, and bore a musket in the 
American service when he was but nineteen years 
of age, in the attack upon Savannah. His intre- 
pidity was so remarkable, that he received the thanks of Governor 
Bullock, and was soon afterwards appointed to the command of 
a volunteer company of light infantry. Towards the close of the 
year 1778, he was made brigade-major of the Georgia militia, and 
when that had no longer an existence, he enrolled himself as a volun- 
teer in a company made up of officers who had no commands. On 
his way to join this company, barefoot and penniless, he was captured 
by some of their number, suspected of being a spy, tried, convicted, 

525 




526 JAMES JACKSON. 

and condemned to execution. He was only saved from death by- 
being recognized when under the gibbet, by Peter Deveaux, a well- 
known gentleman, afterwards member of the executive council of 
Georgia. His life had been certainly sacrificed but for the oppor- 
tune arrival of this gentleman. 

In March, 1780, he was unhappily engaged in a duel with Lieu- 
tenant-Governor Wells, who lost, his life. Major Jackson was himself 
wounded in both knees, and confined by his injuries for months. His 
surgeons abandoned his case, as he persisted in refusing to submit 
to amputation, and his recovery was for a long time doubtful. 

After his return to the camp, he served with distinction throughout 
the war, signalizing his valor whenever occasion offered. When 
the British evacuated Savannah, July 12, 1782, General Wayne 
directed Colonel Jackson to roceive the keys, and take possession 
of the town, " in consideration of his severe and fatiguing service 
in advance." At the battle of the Cowpens, in the face of the whole 
army, he seized the colors of the 7 1st British regiment at the utmost 
risk of his life, and afterwards presented the commander of the 
British infantry, Major M'Arthur, as a prisoner to General Morgan. 
At Tennant's Tavern, during the retreat of General Greene, his 
boldness brought him into the most imminent danger from the sabres 
of Tarleton's cavalry. He was with Lee and Pickens when they 
destroyed Pyle's corps of tories, and General Pickens, speaking of 
his independent operations in Georgia, previous to the taking of 
Augusta, says that " Major Jackson's exertions in the early period of 
the siege, laid the groundwork for the reduction of that place." 

He commanded an American garrison at Augusta, after its sur- 
render, and maintained his' position, although he was for a time cut 
off from all communication with the Americans and surrounded by 
British troops. But emissaries from Savannah excited treason in his 
camp, and a plot was formed among the infantry to murder him in 
his bed, bayonet his officers, and deliver the governor of Georgia as 
a prisoner into the hands of the enemy. An incorruptible dragoon 
gave information of the plan, and the colonel ordered out his cavalry, 
caused the infantry to parade without arms, and then charged upon 
them with the dragoons, arrested and tried the ringleaders, and 
promptly executed those who were condemned. Nothing could 
exceed the fidelity and good conduct which after this occurrence 
characterized his corps. 

In July 1782, the general assembly of Georgia voted and presented 
him with a house and lot in Savannah, as a testimonial of their sense 
of his merits. He now commenced the practice of his profession, 
and soon had the satisfaction to find it yield him a competency. In 



KIS DEATH. 



527 



1783, be was elected a member of the Georgia legislature, and in 
the following year was made colonel of the first regiment of Georgia 
militia. He was promoted to be brigadier-general in 1786, and was 
elected an honorary member of the Georgia Cincinnati Society. In 
1788, when thirty years of age, he was elected governor of Georgia, 
which dignity however he declined, declaring that neither his age, 
nor experience would justify his acceptance. He was then made 
major-general of the militia of the state, and sent to represent 
Georgia in the senate of the United States. While in this capacity 
he died at Washington, January 19, 1806. His temper was impetu- 
ous, his oratory brilliant, his courage undaunted, his devotion to 
liberal principles unyielding, and his love for Georgia, "his country - " 
3.s he called it — his strangest passion. 



! ! 





BRIGADIER GENERAL PETER MUHLENBERG. 




ETER MUHLENBERG, was a native of 
Pennsylvania, born in 1745. In early life 
he yielded to the wishes of his venerable 
father, the patriarch of the German Luther- 
an church in Pennsylvania, by becoming a 
minister of the Episcopal church, and parti- 
cipating in the spirit of the times, exchanged 
~^sS»SsS!?'^w5 i '' his clerical profession for that of a soldier. 
Having in his pulpit inculcated the principles of liberty, and the 
cause of his country, he found no difficulty in enlisting a regiment of 
soldiers, and he was appointed their commander. He entered the 
pulpit with his sword and cockade, preached his farewell sermon, and 
the next day marched at the head of his regiment to join the army. 

In the year 1776, he became a member of the convention, and 
afterwards a colonel of a regiment of that state. In the year 1777, 
he was appointed a brigadier-general in the revolutionary army, in 
which capacity he acted until the termination of the war which gave 
liberty and independence to his country, at which time he was pro- 
moted to the rank of major-general. General Muhlenberg was a 
particular favorite of the commander-in-chief, and he was one of 
those brave men, in whose coolness, decision of character, and 
undaunted resolution, he could ever rely. It has been asserted 

528 



HIS SERVICES IN PENNSYLVANIA. 



529 



with some degree of confidence, that it was General Muhlenberg, 
who commanded the American storming party at Yorktown, the 
honor of which station has been attributed, by the different histories 
of the American revolution, to another person. It is, however, a 
well known fact, that he acted a distinguished and brave part at the 
siege of Yorktown. 

After the peace, General Muhlenberg was chosen by his fellow 
citizens of Pennsylvania to fill in succession the various stations of 
vice-president of the supreme executive council of Pennsylvania, 
member of the house of representatives, and senator of the United 
States ; and afterwards appointed by the president of the United 
States, supervisor of the excise in Pennsylvania, and finally, collector 
of the port of Philadelphia, which office he held at the time of his 
death. In all the above military and political stations, General 
Muhlenberg acted faithfully to his country and honorably to himself. 
He was brave in the field, and firm in the cabinet. In private life 
he was strictly just ; in his domestic and social attachments, he was 
affectionate and sincere ; and in his intercourse with his fellow 
citizens, always amiable and unassuming. 

He died on the 1st day of October, 1807, in the sixty-second year 
of his age, at his seat near Schuylkill, Montgomery county, Penn- 
sylvania. 




34 




BRIGADIER GENERAL CHRISTOPHER GADSDEN. 



HRISTOPHER GADSDEN, lieu- 
tenant-governor of South Carolina, 
and a distinguished friend of his 
country, was born about the year 
So high was his reputation in the 
colony in which he lived, that he was ap- 
pointed one of the delegates to the Con- 
gress, which met at New York in October, 
1765, to petition against the stamp-act. 

Judge Johnson, in his life of General 

Greene, says, " There was at least one 

man in South Carolina, who, as early as 1766, foresaid and foretold 

the views of the British government, and explicitly urged his adhe- 

530 




GADSDEN K PRISONER. 



531 



rents to the resolution to resist even to death. General Gadsden, it 
is well known, and there are still living witnesses to prove it, always 
favored the most decisive and energetic measures. He thought it a 
folly to temporize, and insisted that cordial reconciliation on honor- 
able terms was impassible. When the news of the repeal of the 
stamp-act arrived, and the whole community was in ecstasy at the 
event, he, on the contrary, received it with indignation, and privately 
convening a party of his friends beneath the celebrated Liberty-tree, 
he there harangued them at considerable length on the folly of re- 
laxing their opposition and vigilance, or indulging the fallacious hope 
that Great Britain would relinquish her designs or pretensions. He 
drew their attention to the preamble of the act, and forcibly pressed 
upon them the absurdity of rejoicing at an act that still asserted and 
maintained the absolute dominion over them. And then reviewing 
all the chances of succeeding in a struggle to break the fetters when- 
ever again imposed on them, he pressed them to prepare their minds 
for the event. The address was received with silent but profound 
devotion, and with linked hands, the whole party pledged themselves 
to resist- a pledge that was faithfully redeemed when the hour of 
trial arrived- It was from this event that the Liberty-tree took its 
name. The first convention of South Carolina held their meeting 
under it." 

He was also chosen a member of the Congress which met in 
1774 ; and on his return early in 1776, received the thanks of the 
provincial assembly for his services. He was among the first who 
advocated republican principles, and wished to make his country 
independent of the monarchical government of Great Britain. 

URING the siege of Charleston, in 1780, he 
Y *J \ \ remained within the lines with five of the 
council, while Governor Rutledge, with the 
i other three, left the city, at the earnest re- 
quest of General Lincoln. Several months 
after the capitulation, he was taken out of 
his bed on the 27th of August, and, with 
most of the civil and military officers, trans- 
ported in a guard-ship to St. Augustine. 
This was done by the order of Lord Corn- 
wall is, and it was in violation of the rights 
of prisoners on parole. Guards were left at 
their houses, and the private papers of some of them were examined. 
A parole was offered at St. Augustine, but such was the indignation 
of Lieutenant-governor Gadsden, at the ungenerous treatment which 
he had received, that he refused to accept it, and bore a close con- 




532 CHRISTOPHER GADSDEN. 

finement in the castle for forty-two weeks, with the greatest forti- 
tude. 

Garden, in his Anecdotes of the Revolutionary War, gives the fol- 
lowing interesting particulars : '• The conduct pf the British com- 
manders towards this venerable patriot, in the strongest manner 
evinced their determination rather to crush the spirit of opposition, 
than by conciliation to subdue it. The man did not exist to whose 
delicate sense of honor, even a shadow of duplicity would have 
appeared more abhorrent, than General Gadsden. Transported by 
an arbitrary decree, with many of the most resolute and influential 
citizens of the republic, to St. Augustine, attendance on parade was 
peremptorily demanded ; when a British officer stepping forward, 
said, ' Expediency, and a series of political occurrences have rendered 
it necessary to remove you from Charleston to this place ; but, gen- 
tlemen, we have no wish to increase your sufferings ; to all, therefore, 
who are willing to give their paroles, not to go beyond the limits 
prescribed to them, the liberty of the town will be allowed ; a 
dungeon will be the destiny of such as refuse to accept the indul- 
gence.' The proposition was generally acceded to. But when 
General Gadsden was called to give this new pledge of faith, he 
indignantly exclaimed, ' With men who have once deceived me, I can 
enter into no new contract. Had the British commanders regarded 
the terms of the capitulation of Charleston, I might now, although 
a prisoner, under my own roof, have enjoyed the smiles and conso- 
lations of my surrounding family ; but even without a shadow of 
accusation proffered against me, for any act inconsistent with my 
plighted faith, I am torn from them, and here, in a distant land, in- 
vited to enter into new engagements. I will give no parole.' ' Think 
better of it, sir,' said the officer, ' a second refusal of it will fix your 
destiny : a dungeon will be your future habitation.' ' Prepare it, 
then,' said the inflexible patriot, 'I will give no parole, so help me 
God: 

" When first shut up in the castle of St. Augustine, the comfort 
of a light was denied him by the commandant of the fortress. A 
generous subaltern offered to supply him with a candle, but he de- 
clined it, lest the officer should expose himself to the censure of his 
superior. 

" After Andre's arrest, Colonel Glazier, the governor of the castle, 
sent to advise General Gadsden to prepare himself for the worst ; 
intimating, that as General Washington had been assured of retalia- 
tion, if Andre was executed, it was not unlikely that General Gads- 
den would be the person selected. To this message he replied, 
' That he was always prepared to die for his country ; and though 



DECLINES THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR. 533 

he knew it was impossible for Washington to yield the right of an 
independent state by the law of war, to fear or affection, yet he 
would not shrink from the sacrifice, and would rather ascend the 
scaffold than purchase with his life the dishonor of his country.' " 

In 1782, when it became necessary, by the rotation established, 
to choose a new governor, he was elected to this office : but he de- 
clined it, in a short speech, to the following effect : '■ I have served 
my country in a variety of stations for thirty years, and I would now 
cheerfully make one of a forlorn hope in an assault on the lines of 
Charleston, if it was probable, that, with the loss of life, you, my 
friends, would be reinstated in the possession of your capital. What 
I can do for my country, I am willing to do. My sentiments in favor 
of the American cause, from the stamp-act downwards, have never 
changed. I am still of opinion that it is the cause of liberty and of 
human nature. The present times require the vigor and activity of 
the prime of life ; but I feel the increasing infirmities of old age to 
such a degree, that I am conscious I cannot serve you to advantage. 
I therefore beg, for your sakes, and for the sake of the public, that 
you would indulge me with the liberty of declining the arduous 
trust." He continued, however, his exertions for the good of his 
country, both in the assembly and council : and notwithstanding the 
injuries he had suffered, and the immense loss of his property, he 
zealously opposed the law for confiscating the estates of the adhe- 
rents to the British government, and contended that sound policy 
required to forgive and forget. 





MAJOR GENERAL HENRY DEARBORN. 






settled 

634 



ENRY DEARBORN was a 

descendant of one of the first 
settlers of New Hampshire, 
who emigrated from the 
county of Devonshire, in Eng- 
land. He received a medical education 
under the instruction of Doctor Hall 
Jackson, of Portsmouth, who was a 
distinguished surgeon in the revolution- 
ary army, and justly celebrated as one of 
the most able physicians which New 
England has produced. Dearborn was 
in the practice of physic at Nottingham-square, in New 




HIS SERVICES AT BUNKER HILL. 



535 



Hampshire, three years previous to the commencement of the revo- 
lutionary war, where, with several gentlemen of the neighborhood, 
he employed his leisure hours in military exercises ; being convinced 
that the time was rapidly approaching, when the liberties of his 
country must cither be shamefully surrendered, or boldly defended 
at the point of the sword. 

This band of associates were determined to be prepared, and 
equipped themselves for the last resort of freemen. 

On the morning of the 20th of April, 1775, notice by an express 
was received of the affair of the preceding day, at Lexington. He 
, assembled with about sixty of the inhabitants of the town, and made a 
rapid movement for Cambridge, where they arrived the next morning 
at sunrise — having marched a distance of fifty-five miles in less than 
twenty-four hours. After remaining several days, and there being 
no immediate occasion for their services, they returned. It being 
determined that a number of regiments should be immediately raised 
for the common defence, Dearborn was appointed captain in the first 
New Hampshire regiment, under the command of Colonel John 
Stark. Such was his popularity, and the confidence of the people 
in his bravery and conduct, that in ten days from the time he received 
his commission, he enlisted a full company, and joined the regiment 
at Medford, on the 15th of May. Previous to the battle of Bunker 
Hill, he was engaged in a skirmish on Hog Island, whither he had 
been sent to prevent the cattle and other stock from being carried 
off by the British, and soon after took a part in an action with an 
armed vessel near Winnesimet Ferry. 

On the morning of the glorious 17th of June, information was 
received that the British were preparing to come out from Boston, 
and storm the works which had been thrown up on Breed's Hill the 
night before by the Americans. The regiment to which he was 
attached was immediately paraded, and marched from Mystic to 
Charlestown Neck. 

Dearborn's company composed the flank guards of the regiment. 
They crossed the Neck under a galling fire from the British men of 
war, and the floating batteries, and having sustained some, loss, 
arrived at Bunker's Heights. The enemy were landing on the shore 
opposite Copp's Hill, when Stark advanced and formed his regiment 
on the declivity of Breed's Hill, in rear of a rail fence, which ran 
from the redoubt, commanded by the gallant Colonel Prescott, to 
Mystic river. The action soon commenced, and the Americans 
stood their ground until their ammunition was entirely expended. 
Dearborn was posted on the right of the regiment, and being armed 
with a fusee, fired regularly with his men. 




536 HENRY DEARBORN. 

In September, he volunteered his services to join the expedition of 
Arnold up Kemiebeck river, and through the wilderness to Quebec. 
He was permitted to select a company from the New Hampshire 
regiment for this arduous service. Thirty-two days were employed 
in traversing the hideous wilderness, between the settlements on the 
Kennebeck and the Chaudiere river, during the inclement months of 
November and December, in which every hardship and fatigue of 
which human nature is capable, was endured indiscriminately, by 
the officers and troops, and a large portion of them starved to death. 
U^ N the highlands, between the Kennebeck 
and St. Lawrence, the remnant of pro- 
visions was divided among the com- 
panies, who were directed to make the 
best of their way in separate divisions 
to the settlements on the Chaudiere. 
The last fragment of food in most of 
the companies was soon consumed, and 
Dearborn was reduced to the extremity 
of dividing his favorite dog among his 
suffering men. When they reached the Chaudiere, from cold, extreme 
hardships, and want of sustenance, his strength failed him, and he 
was unable to walk but a short distance, without wading into the 
water to invigorate and stimulate his limbs. With great difficulty 
he reached a poor hut on the Chaudiere, when he told his men he 
could accompany them no further, and animated them forward to a 
glorious discharge of their duty. His company left him with tears 
in their eyes, expecting to see him no more. Dearborn was here 
seized with a violent fever, during which his life was despaired of 
for ten days, being without medicine, and with scarcely the common 
necessaries of life. His fine constitution at last surmounted the 
disease, and as soon as he was able to travel, he proceeded to Point 
Levi in a sleigh — crossed over to Wolfe's Cove, and made his unex- 
pected appearance at the head of his company, a few days before 
the assault on Quebec. At four o'clock in the morning, on the thirty- 
first day of December, 1775, in a severe snow storm, and in a climate 
that vies with Norway in tempests and intense cold, the attack was 
commenced. Dearborn was attached to the corps under General Ar- 
nold, who was wounded early in the action and carried from the field. 
Lieutenant-colonel Green succeeded in the command. They stormed 
the first barrier, and entered the lower town. Montgomery had 
already bled on immortal ground, and his division having made a preci- 
pitate and most shameful retreat, as soon as their general fell, the corps 
under Greene was exposed to a sanguinary but unavailing contest. 






MADE PRISONER AT QUEBEC. 



537 




ROM the windows of the houses, which being 
constructed of stone, each was a castle, and 
from the tops of the parapets, a destructive 
fire was poured upon the assailants, which 
threatened inevitable destruction to every one 
who should appear in the streets. The Ameri- 
can troops maintained this desperate warfare 
until at last they were reduced to the necessity of surrendering in 
small parties. 

The whole corps led on by General Arnold, were killed or made 
prisoners of war. The officers were put into rigid confinement, and 
every day were tauntingly told, that in the spring they would be sent 
to England, and hanged as rebels. 

In May, 1776, Majors Meigs and Dearborn were permitted to 
return on their parole. They were sent round to Halifax in the 
frigate Niger, and treated with the usual contumely and hauteur of 
English officers. On their arrival at Halifax, they were put on board 
another ship of war, and the commander instructed by General Howe, 
to land them in some port of New England. After the ship had 
cruised with them on board for upwards of thirty days, during which 
period they met with the grossest insults, they were put on shore at 
Penobscot bay, from whence 'they proceeded to Portland by land. 

In the fore part of the following March, Dearborn was exchanged, 
and appointed a major to the third New Hampshire regiment, com- 
manded by Colonel Alexander Scammel, and early in May arrived 
with the regiment at Ticonderoga. 

On the 6th of July, the post of Ticonderoga was abandoned, on 
the approach of General Burgoyne's army. General St. Clair re- 
treated with the main body of the troops, by land, through Vermont 
to Hudson river, near Saratoga, and soon after continued to retreat, 
until the army had crossed the Mohawk river, near its junction with 
the Hudson, where considerable reinforcements were met, and Gene- 
ral Gates assumed the command of the northern army. 

Soon after the capture of the British detachment under Baum, at 
Bennington, by General Stark ; and the retreat of General St. 
Leger from Fort Stanwix, General Gates advanced to meet the 
enemy, who was encamped near Saratoga. When the enemy arrived 
at Stillwater, a corps of light infantry was formed, by detachments 
from the line, consisting of five full companies, and the command 
given to Major Dearborn, with orders from General Gates to act in 
concert with Colonel Morgan's regiment of riflemen, which had 
joined the army a few days previous. A strong position was selected, 
called Bemis's Heights, and immediately occupied by the American 



538 HENRY DEARBORN. 

army. The riflemen and Dearborn's corps of light infantry, en- 
camped in advance of the left of the main line. The British army 
had advanced from Saratoga, and encamped on the bank of the 
river, within three miles of General Gates's position. 

On the morning of the 19th of September, the advanced pickets 
announced that the right wing of the British army was still in mo- 
tion, when Morgan and Dearborn, who commanded separate corps, 
received orders from General Arnold to make a forward movement, 
to check the approaching column. These orders were promptly 
obeyed, and the advanced guard, consisting of torics and other irre- 
gulars, was soon met and attacked with spirit, in which conflict they 
killed and wounded a considerable number of the enemy, and made 
twenty-two prisoners. The action soon after became general, and 
continued until the dusk of the evening, on the same ground on 
which it commenced ; neither party having retreated more than 
twenty or thirty rods, and that alternately, so that the dead of both 
parties were mingled together. 

Dearborn, with his light corps, covered the left of the main line, 
while Morgan covered the right. The loss was severe on both sides, 
and especially in the New Hampshire line. Lieutenant-colonels 
Adams and Colburn being killed, Dearborn was promoted to a lieu- 
tenant-colonel, and was at that time in the twenty-seventh year of 
his age. As his light corps were constantly employed in reconnoiter- 
ing, frequent actions occurred between the pickets and advanced 
parties of the enemy. 

In the campaign of 1778, Dearborn served with the main army, 
and in the battle of Monmouth, the spirited conduct of Cilley's de- 
tached regiment, of which Dearborn was lieutenant-colonel, attracted 
particularly the attention of the commander-in-chief. 

FTER Lee had made a precipitate and unex- 
pected retreat, Washington, among other mea- 
sures which he took to check the advance of 
the British, ordered Cilley's regiment to attack 
a body of troops which were passing through an 
orchard on the right wing of the enemy. 

The regiment advanced under a heavy fire, 
with a rapid step and shouldered arms. The 
enemy filed off and formed on the edge of a morass. The Americans 
wheeled to the right, received their second fire, with shouldered arms, 
marched up within eight rods, dressed, gave a full fire and charged 
with the bayonet. The British having sustained considerable loss, 
fled with precipitation across the morass, where they were protected 
by the main body of the enemy. 





DEARBORN APPOINTED SECRETARY OF WAR. 539 

— v OLONEL DEARBORN, was then des- 
f*~" L patched to the commander-in-chief to ask 
jF 1 "Si what further service was required; when 
<r.-f he approached, Washington inquired, with 
evident pleasure at their gallant conduct, " what 
troops arc those ?" " Full-blooded Yankees from 
New Hampshire, sir," replied Dearborn. Wash- 
ington expressed his approbation in explicit terms, 
and directed that they should fall back and refresh themselves, as 
the heat was very oppressive and the troops much fatigued. 

In the general orders of the next day, General Washington be- 
stowed the highest commendations on the brilliant exploit of the 
regiment. 

In 1779, Dearborn accompanied General Sullivan in his expe- 
dition against the Indians, and had an active share in the action 
of the 29th of August with the united forces of tories and Indians 
at Newtown. During the campaign of 1780, he was with the 
main army in Jersey. 

In 1781, he was appointed deputy quartermaster-general, with 
the rank of colonel, and served in that capacity with Washington's 
army in Virginia. He was at the siege of Yorktown, and the cap- 
ture of Lord Cornwallis and his army. Colonel Scammel being 
killed during the siege, Dearbon succeeded to the command of the 
first New Hampshire regiment, and was ordered to the frontier gar- 
rison at Saratoga during the campaign of 1782. In November he 
joined the army at Newburgh. 

After the American independence was secured and acknowledged 
by the king of Great Britain, Colonel Dearborn, with his companions 
in arms, who had survived the fatigues, hardships and dangers of the 
war, returned to the pursuits of private life. 

In June, 1784, he removed from New Hampshire to Kennebeck, 
in the district of Maine. In 1787 he was elected brigadier-general 
of the militia, and soon after appointed a major-general. President 
Washington appointed him marshal for the district of Maine in the 
year 1780. He was twice elected to represent the district of Ken- 
nebeck in the Congress of the United States. 

On the accession of Mr. Jefferson to the presidency, he was ap- 
pointed secretary of war, and continued in that office until March, 
1809, when he resigned, and was appointed collector for Boston, 
and in February, 1812, he received a commission as senior major- 
general in the army of the United States. 

The shameful surrender of General Hull at Detroit, and subse- 
quent unfortunate transactions on the Niagara at Queenstown Heights, 



540 



HENRY DEARBORN. 



frustrated the plans of the campaign of 1812. Notwithstanding 
these severe checks, General Dearborn did not relax in activity, for 
as soon as he had ordered his army into winter-quarters at Platts- 
burgh and Burlington, he was constantly employed in recruiting the 
army, and making preparations for opening the campaign early in 
the following spring. 

Previous to the general's departure from Albany, in the month of 
February, 1813, he had ordered Generals Lewis and Boyd to the 
Niagara frontier, directing the former to prepare boats and scows, 
erect batteries, and make every necessary arrangement for an attack 
and descent on Fort George. General Dearborn, after giving these 
orders, repaired to Utica and Whitestown, made there arrangements 
for the transportation of troops down the Oswego to Sackett's Har- 
bor, and gave the necessary direction relative to all the military 
stores for the ensuing campaign. These accomplished, he proceeded 
to Sackett's Harbor, agreeably to a plan of operations which had 
been submitted to the consideration of the secretary of war, and 
which was left to the discretion of Major-General Dearborn to carry 
into effect. 

The projected plan was to capture and destroy Little York ; this 
would give Commodore Chauncey the command of the lake, render 
it impossible to furnish their troops and Indians with stores, and 
cut off all communications between Kingston and Maiden. 

The plan was disclosed at the harbor, only to Commodore Chaun- 
cey and General Pike. General Lewis, then at the Niagara, was 
also advised of the movement, and ordered to be in readiness for an 
immediate attack on Fort George. After the capture of York, the 
troops were to be transported to Niagara, and make an instant attack 
on Fort George. This being effected, the army was to have been 
transported back to Sackett's Harbor ; from whence, with an addi- 
tional number of troops collecting by previous orders, they were to 
make an attack on Kingston in its rear ; while the fleet would batter 
the town, fortifications, and the fleet in front. 

With this system of operations in view, General Dearborn sailed 
with 1600 men, as soon as the ice permitted the fleet to leave the 
harbor. York was taken April 27th, with all the stores of the British 
army ; a ship of thirty guns burnt, and the Duke of Gloucester of 
fourteen guns made a prize. The Earl of Moira had previously 
sailed for Kingston. 

Upon the success of the first part of the expedition, General Dear- 
born sent an express to inform General Lewis what he had done, and 
to notify him of his intended arrival with the army at Fort Niagara, 
at which post the general arrived a few days after ; when he learnt 






INVASION OF CANADA. 



541 




Commodore Chauncey. 

that General Lewis was at Judge Porter's, opposite Niagara falls, 
fourteen miles from his troops. Upon further inquiry, to the disap 
pointment and mortification of General Dearborn, it was further 
learnt, that no step had been taken by General Lewis to prepare for 
the contemplated attack. The batteries were not even commenced ; 
the boats necessary to make the descent were not furnished. Gen- 
eral Dearborn had felt a previous attachment for General Lewis, and 
out of respect to him, transmitted a letter to the Secretary of War, 
in which the violent storms were assigned as a public reason for the 
delay of the movement, and postponement of the intended attack ; 
but lest improper advantage should be taken of this circumstance, to 
the prejudice of General Dearborn, (which afterwards proved to be 
the case,) another letter was transmitted, which particularly detailed 
the real causes of the delay. 

The general, thus circumstanced, knowing the enemy would be 
reinforced before the boats to be built would be in readiness to pass 
over the army, desired Commodore Chauncey to return to Sackett's 
Harbor, and in the interim bring up General Chandler's brigade. 
During this period, five batteries were erected above Fort Niagara, 
and the boats which had been commenced, were ordered to be finished 
with all expedition, and brought round to Four Mile Creek ; the last 



542 



HENRY DEARBORN. 



was effected, on the river, under the fire of five of the enemy's 
batteries, without any loss. 

Immediately on the return of the fleet with General Chandler's 
brigade, the general issued an order which never has been published, 
" that on the next day the troops should breakfast at two o'clock, 
strike tents at three, and embark at four o'clock." The situation 
and position of the country had been previously obtained by spies, 
the place of landing designated, and the plan of attack delineated ; 
which was submitted to Generals Lewis, Chandler, Winder, and 
Boyd, and met their full approbation. 

Excessive fatigues, and frequent exposures to storms, had pro 
duced a violent fever, which ten days previous to the attack on Fort 
George confined General Dearborn to his bed. The morning after 
the general order was announced for the attack, General Lewis 
called on him, and said it would be impossible for the enemy to be 
embarked. General Dearborn then, having some suspicions of the 
military character and energy of General Lewis, replied, the attack 
should be made when ordered ; that he was prepared, and no further 
delay would be allowed. 

The morning of the attack General Dearborn was mounted on his 
horse, by assistance, before four o'clock, in opposition to the opinion 
of his physicians, and against the remonstrances of the officers of 
the staff. He rode to the place of embarkation ; saw all the troops 
on board the fleet and boats. General Lewis, who had the immediate 
command, now first made his appearance, and expressed his great 
astonishment at the unexpected rapidity with which this movement 
had been made. This exertion had so exhausted General Dearborn, 
that he was taken from his horse, led to a boat, and conveyed on 
board the Madison. On his way to Four Mile Creek, Dr. Mann, 
hospital surgeon of the army, meeting General Dearborn, said to him, 
" I apprehend you do not intend to embark with the army." — The 
general replied, " I apprehend nothing, sir ; I go into battle, or perish 
in the attempt." 

From the first dawn of day, and while the army was embarking, 
a most tremendous fire of hot shot and shells from Fort Niagara and 
the new erected batteries, was opened on Fort George, and con- 
tinued until the block-houses, barracks and stores were enwrapped 
in flames, and the guns silenced. 

General Dearborn, from his great exertions, added to his ill state 
of health, was unable to support himself more than fifteen or twenty 
minutes on his feet at a time ; but he was nevertheless frequently up, 
watching these interesting movements. The troops had all landed, 
when General Lewis, (who ought to have preceded the reserve,) 



MISCONDUCT OF LEWIS. 543 

still remained on board. His delay astonished General Dearborn, 
who, exercising his usual delicacy with him, merely suggested to him, 
whether he ought not to land, and then retired. Within twenty 
minutes General Dearborn again came on deck, and rinding General 
Lewis still on board, ordered him to land. The enemy now had 
fallen back between the village of Newark and Fort George. After 
General Lewis had landed, one hour and a half had passed away, and 
four thousand men formed in order of battle, with a fine train of 
artillery, were seen standing still, while the enemy, not more than 
twelve hundred "m number, was manoeuvring for a retreat. At this 
moment, General Dearborn forgot his debility, and insisted on being 
carried on shore : but by the strong solicitations of those about him, 
was prevailed upon to remain on board ; and in agony at the delay, 
sent his deputy adjutant-general, Beebe, to General Lewis, with 
orders " to move instantly, surround the enemy, and cut them up." 
General Lewis, even after this order, waited an hour before Generals 
Boyd, Chandler and Scott, with all their arguments, could induce 
him to advance, and then only to the south side of Newark, perhaps 
three-fourths of a mile from his first position, where the line was 
again formed, and continued, until the enemy had retreated in the 
rear of Fort George, and took the route to Queenstown Heights. 
Colonel Scott, however, pursued the retreating broken army without 
orders, three miles, and would not desist in his pursuit, until four 
aids-de-camp of General Lewis had been despatched to order his 
return. Late in the day, the ship Madison moved up the Niagara 
river in front of Fort George, where General Dearborn was taken on 
shore and carried to his quarters much exhausted. Meeting with 
General Lewis, he expressed his disapprobation of his conduct, and 
ordered him to put the army in pursuit of the enemy at five o'clock 
in the morning. Instead of which, he did not move till five o'clock 
in the afternoon. Upon his arrival at Queenstown Heights, he learned 
that the enemy had made a rapid movement towards the head of Lake 
Ontario, a few hours previous, by the Beaver Dam, and sent back a 
report to this effect. 

Some cause, never distinctly explained, led to the retirement of 
General Dearborn from the command of the army. 

The tide of war had been changed by the capture of York and 
Fort George. Hitherto the arms of the United States had been 
disgraced, and accumulated disasters marked the events of the pre- 
ceding campaigns. An uninterrupted series of defeats had cast a 
gloom over the nation, which was at length dissipated by the 
splendid achievements of the army under the direction of General 
Dearborn. The prospects very likely to grow out of the matured 






544 HENRY DEARBORN. 

plans of Dearborn, promised such a continued success, as must 
drive the enemy into Lower Canada, and place the American flag 
over the posts of Kingston and Montreal. Some will have it, that 
envy or ambition led to the superseding of General Dearborn. Hints, 
in the shape of " extracts of letters from respectable officers of the 
army," were circulated through the medium of the public papers, 
unfavorable to the military character of the general. These seem to 
have been totally disregarded by Dearborn, who placed full reliance 
on the knowledge he presumed the president had of his integrity, 
zeal, and devotion to the best interests of his country ; thus fortified, 
and fully conscious of the integrity of his own heart, he smiled at 
the indications of the impending storm which was hovering in the 
horizon for his destruction. The storm however at length broke 
over the general's head, and sent him from the army. The honor 
of conquering Canada was reserved for General Armstrong. If the 
secretary of war could have meant thus to have promoted any 
ulterior object of his own personal ambition, the disastrous move- 
ments of the army, under his guidance, caused those hopes to wither. 

On the morning of the 15th July, there was considerable agitation 
in camp in consequence of a report that Gen. Dearborn had received 
orders to retire from the command of the army at Fort George. This 
report, on inquiry, was found to be well grounded ; and General Boyd 
and all the field officers immediately assembled and addressed to the 
senior general warm and earnest solicitations for him to remain in 
command ; to which he made a suitable reply. 

At one o'clock, the officers repaired to head-quarters, to take leave 
of their chief, who had directed their successful efforts in retrieving 
the honor of the American arms, and who had been present with 
them in scenes of privation and danger. 

There was no general ever gave a firmer countenance to an army 
in the hour of danger than General Dearborn. Disdaining to court 
popularity, he had acquired the confidence of every officer, as fully 
appears by their unsolicited expressions of it. 

On the same day the general took a most feeling and affectionate 
leave of his brethren in arms ; he was accompanied to the Niagara 
by the officers who had served so happily under him ; every appro- 
priate honor was paid to the departing chief, a salute was fired from 
the ramparts of the fort, and a troop of horse received him on the 
opposite shore, and conducted him beyond Lewis's Tower. 

From Utica he addressed a letter, dated July 24th, 1813, to the 
President of the United States. This letter was dictated by mag- 
nanimity and firmness ; it concludes with the following expressions : 
" I shall never complain of being so disposed of, as the good of the 



ORDERED TO NEW YORK. 545 

service may require, but the mariner of performing an act gives a 
character to the act itself, and considering the particular manner and 
time of my removal from command, I trust it will not be deemed 
improper to afford me the satisfaction of an inquiry, for investigating 
any parts of my conduct, that may have been deemed improper, and 
on which my suspension from command may have been predicated." 

A few days after he reached his seat in Roxbury, his letter to the 
president was acknowledged, in a reply, dated, August 8th, 1813. 
This reply is full of esteem and affection, yet holds out little, if any, 
prospect, that the inquiry, which the general solicited, would be 
attended to : the president concludes by observing, " I am persuaded 
that you will not lose in any respect by the effect of time and truth." 

On the 17th of the same month, General Dearborn again addressed 
the president in a letter in which he says, " To suspend an officer ot 
my grade and situation in command, except by the sentence of a 
court martial, or the opinion of a court of inquiry, is such a strong 
measure, as on general received principles, could only be justified by 
the most unequivocal and outrageous misconduct of the officer ; and 
I cannot permit myself to doubt but that on reflection, it will be con- 
sidered proper to afford me a hearing before a suitable military tri- 
bunal, previous to my being again ordered on duty." 

Notwithstanding General Dearborn had requested not to be ordered 
on duty until his military conduct had been investigated by a com- 
petent military tribunal, a different course was pursued by the pre- 
sident. He received a letter from the war department, dated 24th 
December, 1813, directing him to repair to New York, and to take 
command of that post, as it was apprehended an attack might be 
made on that place by the enemy. 

The danger which menaced his country extinguished every other 
consideration in the breast of this citizen ; he repaired to New York, 
and, from thence, reiterated his request, to be indulged by an inquiry 
into his past military conduct. Although this wish of the general 
was never effectually attended to, yet it appears, that in a letter to 
him from the secretary of state, dated June 15th, 1814, he is pro- 
mised, that he will be gratified by the inquiry he courts, " when it 
may be done without injury to the service." The secretary, on this 
occasion, observes, " My own idea is that you require no vindication 
in the case alluded to ; that public opinion has already done you 
justice." 

The high opinion the president entertained of the talents and in- 
tegrity of General Dearborn, was sufficiently evinced by his nomina- 
tion of the general to fill the important office of secretary of war 
This was not acceded to by the senate. 

35 



546 



HENRY DEARBORN. 



After the nomination, a number of the senators waited on the 
president, and he then gave them his opinion of General Dearborn, 
and explained to them the whole transaction, which had done so 
much injury to a faithful, zealous, patriotic and deserving officer. 
They were astonished, affirming that if this development had preceded 
the nomination, it would have been instantly confirmed. 

General Dearborn was subsequently appointed collector of the 
port of Boston, and in 1822, minister plenipotentiary to Portugal. 
Two years after, he returned to America at his own request. He died 
in 1829, aged seventy-eight. 

One of General Dearborn's biographers gives the following charac- 
teristic anecdote. 

Major-general Dearborn was one of the most popular of the gene- 
rals who distinguished themselves in the war of 1812—14. He was 
equally a favorite with the soldiers he commanded ; his hahits of 
dignified familiarity endeared him to them, and their dangers and pri- 
vations were always lightened by having him share them. During 
one of the summer campaigns in the north, there occurred a suc- 
cession of violent thunder storms, which endangered the magazine. 
The sentinels posted on duty near these storehouses, regarded their 
death as certain should they be exploded by lightning, and they 
almost invariably deserted their posts on the coming of a storm. 
General Dearborn knew of this practice, and feared its effect upon 
the discipline of the troops. He knew that he could not force men 
to be morally brave, but thought that, they might be shamed by ex- 
ample. One night, therefore, when he saw a storm approaching, he 
marched to the magazine when the sentinels were being changed, 
and announced his intention of assisting to keep the watch. He 
folded his cloak about him, calmly laid himself down on the top of 
the magazine, and remained there until after a violent storm had 
passed. For several nights he slept on the magazine, alike regard- 
less of the lightning's flash and the torrent of rain, until the soldiers 
entreated him to return to his tent, assuring him that the magazine 
would be well guarded m future. 





BRIGADIER GENERAL JOHN CADWALADER. 



sHIS gallant officer, born in 
Philadelphia, was distinguish- 
ed lor his zealous and inflexi 
hie adherence to the cause, of 
America, and forhis intrepidity 
as a soldier, in upholding that cause 
during the most discouraging periods 
of danger and misfortune. At the dawn 
of the revolution, he commanded a corps 
of volunteers, designated ;.s "tJie silk 
stocking comply;- of which nearly all 
the members were appointed to commissions in the line of the 
army. He afterwards was appointed colon"! of one of the city 
battalions; and, being thence promoted to the rank of briiradier- 

547 




548 JOHN CADWALADEE. 

general, was intrusted with the command of the Pennsylvania troops, 
in the important operations of the winter campaign of 1776, and 
1777. He acted with his command, and as a volunteer, in the 
actions of Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth, and 
other occasions; and received the thanks of General Washington, 
whose confidence and regard he uniformly enjoyed. 

When General Washington determined to attack the British and 
Hessian troops at Trenton, he assigned him the command of a divi- 
sion. In the evening of Christmas day, 1776, General Washington 
made arrangements to pass the river Delaware, in three divisions : 
one, consisting of five hundred men, under General Cadwalader, 
from the vicinity of Bristol ; a second division, under the command 
of General Irvine, was to cross at Trenton feiry, and secure the 
bridge leading to the town. Generals Cadwalader and Irvine made 
every exertion to get over, but the quantity of ice was so great, that 
they could not effect their purpose. The third, and main body, 
which was commanded by General Washington, crossed at M'Kon- 
key's ferry ; but the ice in the river retarded their passage so long, 
that it was three o'clock in the morning before the artillery could be 
got over. On their landing in Jersey, they were formed into two 
divisions, commanded by Generals Sullivan and Greene, who had 
under their command brigadiers Lord Sterling, Mercer and St. Clair : 
one of these divisions was ordered to proceed on the lower, or river 
road, the other on the upper or Pennington road. Colonel Stark, 
with some light troops, was also directed to advance near to the 
river, and to possess himself of that part of the town, which is beyond 
the bridge. The divisions having nearly the same distance to march, 
were ordered immediately on forcing the out-guards, to push directly 
into Trenton, that they might charge the enemy before they had time 
to form. Though they marched different roads, yet they arrived at 
the enemy's advanced post within three minutes of each other. The 
out-guards of the Hessian troops at Trenton soon fell back, but kept 
up a constant retreating fire. Their main body being hard pressed 
by the Americans, who had already got possession of half their artil- 
lery, attempted to file off by a road leading towards Princeton, but 
were checked by a body of troops thrown in their way. Finding 
they were surrounded, they laid down their arms. The number 
which submitted, was twenty-three officers, and eight hundred and 
eighty-six men. Between thirty and forty of the Hessians were 
killed and wounded. Colonel Rahl was among the former, and seven 
of his officers among the latter. Captain Washington, of the Vir- 
ginia troops, and five or six of the Americans were wounded. Two 
were killed, and two or three were frozen to death. The detachment 



BATTLE OF PRINCETON. 549 

in Trenton, consisting of the regiments of Rahl, Losberg and Kni- 
phausen, amounting in the whole to about fifteen hundred men, and a 
troop of British light horse. All these were killed or captured, except 
about six hundred, who escaped by the road leading to Bordentown. 
The British had a strong battalion of light infantry at Princeton, 
and a force yet remaining near the Delaware, superior to the Ameri- 
can army. General Washington, therefore, in the evening of the 
same day, thought it most prudent to recross into Pennsylvania, with 
his prisoners. * 

The next day after Washington's return, supposing him still on 
the Jersey side, General Cadwalader crossed with about fifteen 
hundred men, and pursued the panic-struck enemy to Burlington. 

The merits and services of General Cadwalader, induced the Con- 
gress, early in 1778, to compliment him by an unanimous vote, with 
the appointment of general of cavalry ; which appointment he de- 
clined, under an impression that he could be more useful to his 
country in the sphere in which he had been acting. 

HE victory at Trenton had a most happy 
effect, and General Washington, finding 
himself at the head of a force with 
which it was practicable to attempt 
something, resolved not to remain in- 
active. Inferior as he was to the enemy, 
he yet determined to employ the winter 
in endeavoring to recover the whole, or 
a greater part of Jersey. The enemy 
were now collected in force at Prince- 
ton, under Lord Cornwallis, where some works were thrown up. 
Generals Mifflin and Cadwalader, who lay at Bordentown and Cross- 
wicks, with three thousand six hundred militia, were ordered to march 
up in the night of the first of Janunry, 1 777, to join the commander- 
in-chief, whose whole force, with this addition, did not exceed five 
thousand men. He formed the bold and judicious design of aban- 
doning the Delaware, and inarching silently in the night by a circui- 
tous route, along the left flank of the enemy, into their rear at 
Princeton, where he knew they could not be very strong. He 
reached Princeton early in the morning of the third, and would have 
completely surprised the British, had not a party, which was on their 
way to Trenton, descried his troops, when they were about two 
miles distant, and sent back couriers to alarm their fellow soldiers in 
the rear. A sharp action ensued, which however was not of long 
duration. The militia, of which the advanced party was principally 
composed, soon gave way. General Mercer was mortally wounded 




550 JOHN CADWALADER. 

while exerting himself to rally his broken tre-ops. The moment was 
critical. General Washington pushed forward, and placed himself 
between his own men and the British, with his horse's head fronting 
the latter. The Americans, encouraged by his example, made a 
stand, and returned the British fire. A party of the British fled into 
the college, and were attacked with field pieces. After receiving a 
few discharges they came out and surrendered themselves prisoners 
of war. In this action upwards of one hundred of the enemy were 
killed on the spot, and three hundred taken prisoners. The Ameri- 
cans lost only a few, but Colonels Haslet and Potter, two brave and 
valuable officers, from Delaware and Pennsylvania, were among the 
slain. 

General Cadwalader's celebrated duel with General Conway, 
arose from his spirited opposition to the intrigues of that officer, to 
undermine the standing of the commander-in-chief. The anecdote 
relative to the duel, in " Anecdotes of the Revolutionary War," by 
Alexander Garden, of Charleston, South Carolina, is not entirely 
correct. 

It will be recollected that General Conway was dangerously 
wounded, and while his recovery was doubtful, he addressed a letter to 
General Washington, acknowledging that he had done him injustice. 

Among many obituary notices of (general Cadwalader, the follow- 
ing outline of his character, in the form of a monumental inscription, 
is selected from a Baltimore paper, of the 24th of February, 1786 : 

IN MEMORY 

OF 

GENERAL JOHN CADWALADER, 

Who died, February the 10th, 1786, 

AT SHREWSBURY, HIS SEAT IS iEHT COVNTT 

In the forty-fourth year of his age. 

This amiable and worthy gentleman, had served his country 
with reputation, in the character of a Soldier and 1 Statesman : 
He took an active part, and had a principal share in the 
late Revolution, and, although he was zealous in the cause 
of American freedom, his conduct was not marked with the 
least degree of malevolence or party spirit; those who- 
honestly differed from him in opinion, ho always treated 
with singular tenderness. In sociability and cheerfulness of 
temper, honesty and goodness of heart, independence of 
spirit, and warmth of friendship, he had no superior, and 
few, very few equals: Never did any man die more la- 
mented by his friends and neighbors: To his family and 
near relations, his death was a stroke' still more severe. 




BRIGADIER GENERAL PELEG WADSWORTH. 




HP 
I 



HIS brave officer belonged to the 
Massachusetts militia. We find 
no detailed particulars of his life. 
But we deem the following notice 
of his brave defence of his house, and rela- 
tion of his subsequent captivity, by Dr. 
Dwight, too interesting to be omitted. 

After the failure of the expedition 
against the British garrison at Penobscot, 
General Peleg Wadsworth was appointed 
in the spring of 1780, to the command of 
a party of state troops in Camden, in the district of Maine. At 
the expiration of the period for which the troops were engaged, in 
February following, General Wadsworth dismissed his troops, retain- 
ing six soldiers only as his guard, and he was making preparations 
to depart from the place. A neighboring inhabitant communicated 
his situation to the British commander at Penobscot, and a party of 
twenty-five soldiers, commanded by Lieutenant Stockton, was sent 
to make him a prisoner. They embarked in a small schooner, and 
landing within four miles of the general's quarters, they were con- 
cealed at the house of one Snow, a methodist preacher, professedly 
a friend to him, but really a traitor, till eleven o'clock in the evening, 
where they made their arrangements for the attack on the general's 
quarters. The party rushed suddenly on the sentinel, who gave the 

551 



552 



PELEG WADSWORTH. 



alarm, and one of his comrades instantly opened the door of the 
kitchen, and the enemy were so near as to enter with the sentinel. 
The lady of the general, and her friend Miss Fenno, of Boston, were 
in the house at the time ; and Mrs. Wadsworth escaped from the 
room of her husband into that of Miss Fenno. The assailants soon 
became masters of the whole house, except the room where the 
general was, and which was strongly barred, and they kept up a 
constant firing of musketry into the windows and door, except into 
those of the ladies' room. Gen. Wadsworth was provided with a 
pair of pistols, a blunderbuss, and a fusee, which he employed with 
great dexterity, being determined to defend himself to the last 
moment. With his pistols which he discharged several times, he 
defended the windows of his room, and a door which opened into the 
kitchen. His blunderbuss he snapped several times, but unfortunately 
it missed fire ; he then seized his fusee, which he discharged on some 
who were breaking through one of the windows, and obliged them to 
flee. He next defended himself with his bayonet, till he received a 
ball through his left arm, when he surrendered, which terminated the 
contest. The firing, however, did not cease from the kitchen, till the 
general unbarred the door, when the soldiers rushed into the room ; 
and one of them, who had been badly wounded, pointing his musket 
at, his breast, exclaimed with an oath, ' you have taken my life, and 
I will take yours.' But Lieutenant Stockton turned the musket and 
saved his life. The commanding officer now applauded the general 
for his admirable defence, and assisted in putting on his clothes, 
saying, < you see we arc in a critical situation; you must excuse 
haste.' Mrs. Wadsworth threw a blanket over him, and Miss Fenno 
applied a handkerchief closely around his wounded arm. In this 
condition, though much exhausted, he with a wounded American 
soldier, was directed to march on foot, while two British wounded 
soldiers were mounted on a horse taken from the general's barn. 
They departed in great haste. When they had proceeded about a 
mile, they met at a small house a number of people who had collected, 
and who inquired if they had taken General Wadsworth. They 
said no, and added that they must leave a wounded man in their 
care ; and if they paid proper attention to him, they should be com- 
pensated ; but if not, they would burn down their house ; but the 
man appeared to lie dying. General Wadsworth was now mounted 
on the horse, behind the other wounded soldier, and was warned that 
his safety depended on his silence. Having crossed over a frozen 
mill pond, about a mile in length, they were met by some of their 
party who had been left behind. At this place they found the British 
privateer which brought the party from the fort ; the captain, on 



CAPTURE OF WADSWORTH. 



553 



being told that he must return there with the prisoner and the party, 
and seeing some of his men wounded, became outrageous, and 
damned the general for a rebel, demanded how he dared to fire on 
the king's troops, and ordered him to help launch the boat, or he 
would put his hanger through his body. The general replied that he 
was a prisoner, and badly wounded, and could not assist in launching 
the boat. Lieutenant Stockton, on hearing of this abusive treatment, 
in a manner honorable to himself, told the captain that the prisoner 
was a gentleman, had made a brave defence, and was to be treated 
accordingly, and added, that his conduct should be represented to 
General Campbell. After this the captain treated the prisoner with 
great civility, and afforded him every comfort in his power. General 
Wadsworth had left the ladies in the house, not a window of which 
escaped destruction. The doors were broken down, and two of the 
rooms were set on fire, the floors covered with blood, and on one of 
them lay a brave old soldier dangerously wounded, begging for death, 
that he might be released from misery. The anxiety and distress of 
Mrs. Wadsworth was inexpressible, and that of the genera] was 
greatly increased by the uncertainty in his mind respecting the fate 
of his little son, only five years old, who had been exposed to every 
danger by the firing into the house; but he had the happiness after- 
ward to hear of his safety. Having arrived at the British post, the 
capture of General Wadsworth was soon announced, and the shore 
was thronged with spectators, to see the man who, through the 
preceding year, had disappointed all the designs of the British in that 
epiarter ; and loud shouts were heard from the rabble which covered 
the shore ; but when he arrived at the fort, and was conducted into 
the officers' guard-room, he was treated with politeness. General 
Campbell, the commandant of the British garrison, sent his compli- 
ments to him, and a surgeon to dress his wounds ; assuring him that 
his situation should be made comfortable. 

pi? N the morning, General Camp- 
bell invited him to breakfast. 





aible. 



and at table paid him many 
compliments on the defence he 
had made, observing, however, 
that he had exposed himself in a degree not 
perfectly justifiable. General Wadsworth 
| replied, that from the manner of the attack, 
he had no reason to suspect any design of 
— taking him alive, and that he intended, 
therefore, to sell his life as dearly as pos- 
: But, sir,' says General Campbell, ' I understand that the 



554 



PELEG WADSWORTH. 



captain of the privateer treated you very ill ; I shall see that matter 
set right.' He then informed the prisoner, that a room in the offi- 
cers' barracks within the fort was prepared for him, and that he 
should send his orderly sergeant daily to attend him to breakfast and 
dinner at his table. Having retired to his solitary apartment, 
and while his spirits were extremely depressed by a recollection of 
the past, and by his present situation, he received from General 
Campbell several books of amusement, and soon after a visit from 
him, kindly endeavoring to cheer the spirits of his prisoner by con- 
versation. Not long after, the officers of the party called, and among 
others the redoubtable captain of the privateer, who called to ask 
pardon for what had fallen from him when in a passion : adding that 
it was not in his nature to treat a gentleman prisoner ill ; that the un- 
expected disappointment of his cruise had thrown him off his guard, 
and he hoped that this would be deemed a sufficient apology. This 
General Wadsworth accepted. At the hour of dining he was invited 
to the table of the commandant, where he met with all the principal 
officers of the garrison ; from whom he received particular atten- 
tion and politeness. General Wadsworth soon made application to 
the commandant for a flag of truce, by which means he could trans- 
mit a letter to the governor of Massachusetts, and another to Mrs. 
Wadsworth : this was granted, on the condition that the letter to the 
governor should be inspected. The flag was intrusted to Lieutenant 
Stockton, and on his return, the general was relieved from all anxiety 
respecting his wife and family. General Campbell, and the officers 
of the garrison, continued their civilities for some time, and endea- 
vored, by books and personal visits, to render his situation as plea- 
sant as circumstances would admit of. At the end of five weeks, 
his wound being nearly healed, he requested of General Campbell 
the customary privilege of a parole, and received in reply, that his 
case had been reported to the commanding officer at New York, and 
that no alteration could be made till orders were received from that 
quarter. In about two months, Mrs. Wadsworth and Miss Fenno 
arrived ; and General Campbell and some of the officers contributed 
to render their visit agreeable to all concerned. About the same 
time, orders were received from the commanding general at New- 
York, which were concealed from General Wadsworth ; but he finally 
learned that he was not to be paroled nor exchanged, but was to be 
sent to England as a rebel of too much consequence to be at liberty. 
Not long afterward, Major Benjamin Burton, a brave and worthy 
man, who had served under General Wadsworth the preceding sum- 
mer, was taken and brought into the fort, and lodged in the same 
room with General Wadsworth. He had been informed, that both 



ESCAPES FROM PRISON. 555 

himself and the genera] were to be sent, immediately after the re- 
turn of a privateer, now out on a cruise, either to New York or 
Halifax, and thence to England. The prisoners immediately resolved 
to make a desperate attempt to effect their escape. They were con- 
fined in a grated room in the officers' barracks, within the fort. The 
walls of this fortress, exclusively of the depth of the ditch surround- 
ing it, were twenty feet high, with fraising on the top, and chevaux- 
de-frise at the bottom. Two sentinels were always in the entry, 
and their door, the upper part of which was of glass, might be opened 
by these watchmen whenever they thought proper, and was actually 
opened at seasons of peculiar darkness and silence. At the exterior 
doors of the entries, sentinels were also stationed ; as were others 
in the body of the fort, and at the quarters of General Campbell. 
At the guard-house a strong guard was daily mounted. Several sen- 
tinels were stationed on the walls of the fort, and a complete line 
occupied them by night. Without the ditch, glacis and abattis, an- 
other complete set of soldiers patroled through the night also. The 
gate of the fort was shut at sunset, and a picket guard was placed 
on or near the isthmus leading from the fort to the main land. 

The room in which they were confined was railed with boards. 
One of these they determined to cut off so as to make a hole large 
enough to pass through, and then to creep along till they should 
come to the next or middle entry ; and then lower themselves down 
into this entry by a blanket. If they should not be discovered, the 
passage to the walls of the fort was easy. In the evening, after the 
sentinels had seen the prisoners retire to bed, General Wadsworth 
got up and standing on a chair, attempted to cut with his knife the 
intended opening, but soon found it impracticable. The next day 
by giving a soldier a dollar they procured a gimlet. With this 
instrument they proceeded cautiously, and as silently as possible to 
perforate the board, and in order to conceal every appearance from 
their servants, and from the officers their visitors, they carefully 
covered the gimlet holes with chewed bread. At the end of three 
weeks their labors were so far completed that it only remained to cut 
with a knife the parts which were left to hold the piece in its place. 
When their preparations were finished, they learned that a privateer 
in which they were to embark was daily expected. In the evening 
of the 18th of June, a very severe storm of rain, with great dark- 
ness and almost incessant lightning, came on. This the prisoners 
considered as the propitious moment. Having extinguished their 
lights, they began to cut the corners of the board, and in less than 
an hour the intended opening was completed. The noise which the 
operation occasioned was drowned by the rain falling on the roof 



556 



PELEG WADSWORTII. 



Major Burton first ascended to the ceiling, and pressed himself 
through Ihc opening. General Wadsworlh next, having put the 
corner of his blanket through the hole, and made it fast by a strong 
wooden skewer, attempted to make his way through, standing on a 
chair below, but it was with extreme difficulty that he at length 
effected it, and reached the middle entry. From this he passed 
through the door which he found open, and made his way to the wall 
of the fort, and had to encounter the greatest difficulty before he 
could ascend to the top. He had now to creep along the top of the 
fort between the sentry boxes at the very moment when the relief 
was shifting sentinels, but the falling of heavy rain kept the senti- 
nels within their boxes, and favored his escape. Having now fas- 
tened his blanket round a picket at the top, be let himself down 
thorough the chevaux-de-frise to the ground, and in a manner aston- 
ishing to himself made his way into the open field. Here he was 
obliged to grope his way among rocks, stumps and brush, in the 
darkness of night, till he reached the cove ; happily the tide had 
ebbed, and enabled linn to cross the water about a mile in breadth, 
and not more than three feet deep. About two o'clock in the. morn- 
ing General Wadsworth found himself a mile and a half from the 
fort, and he proceeded through a thick wood and brush to the Penob- 
scot river, and after passing some distance along the shore, seven 
miles from the fort, he met Burton advancing towards him. He had 
encountered difficulties also, and such were the perils they surmount- 
ed, that their escape may be considered almost miraculous. They 
still had to cross Penobscot river, and fortunately they found a canoe 
with oars on the shore. While on the river they saw a barge with a 
party of British from the fort in pursuit of them, but by taking an 
oblique course, and plying their oars to the utmost, they happily 
eluded their pursuers and arrived safe on the western shore. After 
wandering for several days and nights, exposed to extreme fatigue 
and cold, and with no other food than a little dry bread and meat, 
which they brought in their pockets, they reached the settlements on 
the river St. George, and no further difficulties attended their return 
to their respective families. 





MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM TRESCOTT. 




ILLIAM PRESCOTT, was an officer distinguished 
by the most determined bravery, who became 
conspicuous from the circumstance of his having 
commanded ihe American troops at the battle of 
Bunker's Hill, on the memorable 17th of June, 
He was born in 1726, at Goshen, in Massachusetts, 
is a lieutenant of the provincial troops at the capture 
ipc Breton, in 1758. The British general was so much 
ed with his conduct in that campaign, that he offered 
him a commission in the regular army, which he declined, 
to return home with his countrymen. From this time till the 
approach of the revolutionary war, he remained on his farm at 
Pepperel, filling various municipal offices, and enjoying the esteem 
and affection of his fellow citizens. As the difficulties between the 
mother country and the colonics grew more serious, he took a 
deeper and more decided part in public affairs. 

In 1774, he was appointed to command a regiment of minute men, 
organized by the provincial congress. He marched his regiment to 
Lexington, immediately on receiving notice of the intended opera- 
tions of General Gage against Concord ; but the British detachment 
had retreated before he had time to meet it. He then proceeded to 
Cambridge, and entered the army that was ordered to be raised ; and 
the greater part of his officers and privates volunteered to serve with 
him for the first campaign. 

On the 16th of June, thrco regiments were placed under him, and 

557 



558 WILLIAM PRESCOTT. 

he was ordered to Charlestown in the evening, to take possession of 
Bunker's Hill, and throw up works for its defence. When they 
reached the ground, it was perceived that Breed's Hill, which is a 
few rods south of Bunker's Hill, was tbe most suitable station. The 
troops under the direction of Colonel Gridley, an able engineer, were 
busily engaged in throwing up a small redoubt and breastwork, which 
latter was formed by placing two rail fences near together, and fill- 
ing the interval with new mown hay lying on the ground. There 
was something in the rustic materials of these defences, hastily 
made, in a short summer's night, within gunshot of a powerful 
enemy, that was particularly apposite to a body of armed husband- 
men, who had rushed to the field at the first sound of alarm. 

As soon as these frail works were discovered the next morning, 
the British commander made preparations to get possession of them. 
General Howe, with various detachments, amounting to near five 
thousand men, was ordered to dislodge the " rebels." The force 
which Colonel Prescott could command for the defence of the 
redoubt and breastwork, was about twelve hundred men. Very few 
of these had ever seen an action. They had been laboring all night 
in creating these defences ; and the redoubt, if it could be so called, 
was open on two sides. Instead of being relieved by fresh troops, 
as they had expected, they were left without supplies of ammunition 
or refreshment ; and thus fatigued and destitute, they had to bear 
the repeated assaults of a numerous, well appointed, veteran army. 
They destroyed nearly as many of their assailants, as the whole of 
their own number engaged ; and they did not retreat until their 
ammunition was exhausted, and the enemy, supplied with fresh 
troops and cannon, completely overpowered them. 

Colonel Prescott lost nearly one quarter of his own regiment in 
the action. When General Warren came upon the hill, Colonel 
Prescott asked him if he had any orders to give ; he answered, " No, 
colonel, I am only a volunteer ; the command is yours." When he 
was at length forced to tell his men to retreat as well as they could, 
he was one of the last who left the intrenchment. He was so well 
satisfied with the bravery of his companions, and convinced that the 
enemy were disheartened by the severe and unexpected loss which 
they had sustained, that he requested the commander-in-chief to 
give him two regiments, and he would retake the position the same 
night. 

He continued in the service until the beginning of 1777, when he 
resigned and returned to his home ; but in the autumn of that year, 
he went as a volunteer to the northern army under General Gates, 
and assisted in the capture of General Burgoyne. This was his 



CHARACTER OF GENERAL PRESCOTT. 



559 



last military service. He was subsequently, for several years, a 
member of the legislature, and died in 1795, in the seventieth year 
of his age. 

General Prescott was a genuine specimen of an energetic, brave, 
and patriotic citizen, who was ready in the hour of danger, to place 
himself in the van, and partake in all the perils of his country ; feel- 
ing anxious for its prosperity, without caring to share in its emolu- 
ments ; and maintaining beneath a plain exterior and simple habits, a 
dignified pride in his native land, and a high-minded love of freedom. 

The immediate results of this engagement were great and various. 
Though the Americans were obliged to yield the ground for want of 
ammunition, yet their defeat was substantially a triumph. The 
actual loss of the British army was severe, and was deeply felt by 
themselves and their friends. The charm of their invincibility was 
broken. The hopes of the whole continent were raised. It was 
demonstrated, that although they might burn towns, or overwhelm 
raw troops by superior discipline and numbers, yet the conquest at 
least would not be an easy one. Those patriots, who, under the 
most arduous responsibility, at the peril of every thing which men of 
sense and virtue can value, hazarded in the support of public prin- 
ciples, present ruin and future disgrace, though they felt this onset 
to be only the beginning of a civil war, yet were invigorated by its 
results, which cleared away some painful uncertainties ; while the 
bravery and firmness that had been displayed by their countrymen, 
inspired a more positive expectation of being ultimately triumphant. 

In the life of James Otis, by William Tudor, of Boston, from 
which work the foregoing is taken, the following note is made rela- 
tive to the battle. ''The anxiety and various emotions of the people 
of Boston, on this occasion, had a highly dramatic kind of interest. 
Those who sided with the British troops began to see even in the 
duration of this battle, the possibility that they had taken the wrong 
side, and that they might become exiles from their country. While 
those whose whole soul was with their countrymen, were in dreadful 
apprehension for their friends, in a contest, the severity of which 
was shown by the destruction of their enemies. 

" After the battle had continued for some time, a young person 
living in Boston, possessed of very keen and generous feelings, bor- 
dering a little perhaps on the romantic, as was natural to her age, 
sex, and lively imagination, finding that many of the wounded troops 
brought over from the field of action were carried by her residence, 
mixed a quantity of refreshing beverage, and with a female domestic 
by her side, stood at the door, and offered it to the sufferers as they 
were borne along, burning with fever, and parched with thirst 



560 



WILLIAM PRESCOTT. 



Several of them, grateful for the kindness, gave her, as they thought, 
consolation, by assuring her of the destruction of her countrymen. 
One young officer said, ' never mind it, my young lady, we have 
peppered 'em well, depend upon it.' Her dearest feelings, deeply 
interested in the opposite camp, were thus unintentionally lacerated, 
while she was pouring oil and wine into their wounds." 

General Henry Lee, in his Memoirs of the War in the Southern 
Department, makes the following remark, in relation to Prescott and 
his gallant band : 

"When future generations shall inquire, where are the men who 
gained the brightest prize of glory in the arduous contest which 
ushered in our nation's birth ? upon Prescott and his companions in 
arms, will the eye of history beam. The military annals of the 
world rarely furnish an achievement which equals the firmness and 
courage displayed on that proud day by the gallant Americans ; and 
it certainly stands first in the brilliant events of the war." 





BRIGADIER GENERAL JOHN FROST. 

HIS gentleman was descended from 
Nicholas Frost, Esq., who emigrated 
from Devonshire, England, in 1630, 
and settled in Kittery, (now Eliot,) in 
the county of York, Maine, on an estate 
which is still in possession of his lineal 
descendant, Joseph Frost, Esq. Charles, 
the only son and heir of Nicholas, was 
killed by the Indians as he was return- 
ing on horseback from divine service on the Sabbath, in the year 
1697. His wife, who was mounted on another horse, escaped the 
fate of her husband.* One of his sons, the Honorable John Frost, 
who was married to a sister of Sir William Pepperell, the hero of 
Cape Breton, f settled at New Castle, New Hampshire, where he 

* This incident is characteristic of the perilous scenes of our early colonial history. Several 
of General Frost's family connexions are mentioned in the annals of Maine, as having served 
in the early Indian wars. 

•f Sir William Pepperell commanded the celebrated expedition against Cape Breton, in 
1745, and received his title for his services on that occasion. 

36 561 




362 



JOHN FROST. 




Halifax 

rose to office and distinction under the colonial government of the 
province. 

John Frost, his second son, inherited the estate in Kittery from 
his father in 1768, and left it to his son, John, the subject of the 
present notice. 

Brigadier-General John Frost was born in Kittery, May 5th, 1738. 
He was married when quite young to Mary, daughter of Ebenezer 
Nowell, Esq., of York, Maine. Soon after this event, toward the 
close of the seven years' war, commonly called the old French war, 
at a period when the people of the colonies had become extremely 
exasperated at the long continuance of the struggle, and were fully 
determined to accomplish the expulsion of the French from Canada, 
Mr. Frost, following the spirited example of several other gentlemen 
in his neighborhood, enlisted a company of men, entered the army 
as acaptain, and served in the expedition against Louisburg, in 1758. 
This expedition, consisting of twenty ships of the line, eighteen 
frigates, and fourteen thousand men under the command of General 
Amherst, sailed from Halifax on the 28th of May, and reduced the 
almost impregnable fortress of Louisburg, which was surrendered on 
the 26th of July. General Wolfe and General Montgomery both 
took a part in this enterprise, and Wolfe by bis energy and decision 
contributed greatly to the successful result. 

In the next campaign, 1759, Captain Frost served in another 
expedition under General Amherst, in which the important fortresses 
of Ticonderoga and Crown Point were captured, and in the subse- 
quent campaign of 1760, he assisted at the capture of Montreal, by 



SERVICES IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 563 

which the conquest of Canada was completed. He then retired to 
his estate in Kittery, where he remained until the opening of the 
revolutionary war. 

Ever attached to the cause of freedom, he was among the first to 
take up arms in the service of his country. In the first campaign of 
the revolution he served at the siege of Boston as lieutenant-colonel 
in the regiment of Colonel Moulton of York. His oldest son, John, 
then only sixteen years of age, accompanied him as a private soldier. 
At the opening of the next campaign, Lieutenant-Colonel Frost was 
promoted to the rank of colonel, and marching under the standard 
of Washington to the theatre of action in the state of New York, 
signalized himself in several of the hard fought hattles which took 
place before the retreat of Washington to Philadelphia. When Bur- 
goyne's invasion took place, Colonel Frost's regiment served under 
Gen. Gates in the successful defence of our territory, and the colonel 
was one of those New England officers who performed such effective 
service in the battles of Stillwater and of Bemis's Heights. 

After the surrender of Burgoyne, Colonel Frost joined the central 
division of the army under General Washington, and was present at 
the battle of Monmouth. In speaking of this battle, subsequently, he 
often referred to the intense heat of the day, evidenced by the fact 
that great numbers of the soldiers actually perished with the heat, 
or with the effect of suddenly drinking cold water while over-heated 
with the fatigues of the action. 

After this, Colonel Frost continued to serve in the middle and 
southern states until the close of the war, at which time he had risen 
to the rank of brigadier-general. 

After General Frost's retirement to private life, at the termination 
of hostilities, he resumed, as usual, the cultivation of his fine estate 
in Kittery. But he was soon called to public duties, being appointed 
one of the justices of the court of sessions of York county, Maine, 
and a member of the council of the governor of Massachusetts, which 
then included Maine. Towards the close of his life he relinquished 
all public employments. He died in Kittery, in July, 1810, at the 
advanced age of seventy-two. Of the family of General Frost, one 
or more members performed service in every war in which this country 
has been engaged, from the earliest colonial times to the present day. 
Several of his ancestors fell in the early Indian wars. His brother 
William was a lieutenant in the revolution. His oldest son John, as 
already stated, fell in that war. His son George and two grandsons 
were engaged in the naval service during the war of 1812, in which 
service George was lost at sea. His grandson, Rev. Nathaniel Frost, 
is now a chaplain in the navy of the United States. 




MAJOR GENERAL ARTEMAS WARD. 




RTEMAS WARD, the first major-general in the 
American army, was graduated at Harvard college 
in 1743, and was afterwards a representative in the 
legislature, a member of the council, and a justice 
of the court of common pleas for Worcester county, 
Massachusetts. When the war commenced with Great Britain, 
he was appointed by congress first major-general, June 17, 
1775. After the arrival of Washington in July, when dispo- 
sition was made of the troops for the siege of Boston, the 
command of the right wing of the army at Roxbury was 
intrusted to General Ward. He resigned his commission in April 
1776, though he continued for some time longer in command at the 
xequest of Washington. He afterwards devoted himself to the duties 
of civil life. He was a member of congress both before and after 
the adoption of the present constitution. After a long decline, in 
which he exhibited the most exemplary patience, he died at Shrews- 
bury, October 28, 1800, aged seventy-three years. He was a man 
of incorruptible integrity. So fixed and unyielding were the princi- 
ples which governed him, that his conscientiousness in lesser concerns 
was by some ascribed to bigotry. His life presented the virtues of 
the Christian. 

564 




BRIGADIER GENERAL WILLIAM EATON. 



i I 



HE subject of this memoir was 
born at Woodstock, in Con- 
necticut, on the 23d of Feb- 
ruary, 1764. His father was 
a plain farmer, who support- 
ed his family by farming in 
the summer, and by teaching 
school during the winter sea- 
son, for which latter occupation 
he is represented as having 
been well qualified. He died 
on the 23d of November, 1804. 
William early discovered an 
eagerness for knowledge, and a dislike of manual labor ; his chief 
delight being a book or a pen, or (he sports of the field. He received 
from his father an elementary education. When he was ten years 
of age, his parents removed from Woodstock to Mansfield, where 

565 





566 WILLIAM EATON. 

his fearlessness and love of adventure were such as frequently to 
endanger his life. 

, T the age of sixteen he left home, and without the 
knowledge of his parents, enlisted in the army, 
but in consequence of the failure of his health, 
he returned home in about a year. When his 
health permitted he again joined the army, and 
remained in the service, until the spring cf 1783, 
when he was honorably discharged, having been 
promoted to the rank of sergeant. 

. After this he remained with his parents until the latter part of 
1784, where he commenced .the study of the classical languages, 
under the Reverend Mr. Nott, of Franklin. In October 1785, he 
was admitted as a freshman in Dartmouth College, (N. H.) with the 
privilege of teaching school in the winter months. Eaton began his 
occupation as a teacher in November, 1785, at Windham, and con- 
tinued until June 1786, giving only a small portion of his time to 
collegiate studies. During the summer of this year, he returned to 
his father's farm in Mansfield, where he divided his time between 
agricultural and literary studies. In November he recommenced his 
school in Windham, and continued it till the spring of the following 
year. In May he was re-admitted into the freshman class of Dart- 
mouth College. Here he remained until May, 1790, supporting 
himself, in part, by teaching school during the winter months. In 
August, 1790, he received the degree of bachelor of arts ; and 
delivered, with a classmate, Wm. Jackson, a poetical dialogue, at 
the commencement of that year. 

His collegiate studies being completed, he again opened school in 
Windsor, which he continued till August, 1791. In the month of 
October following, he was chosen clerk to the house of delegates of 
the state of Vermont. 

In March, 1792, he received, through the influence of the honor- 
able Stephen R. Bradly, a senator of the United States from Ver- 
mont, a commission of captain in the army, and, under orders from 
the war department, proceeded in May to Bennington, (Vermont,) 
to take command of the recruits then assembling under his ensign, 
Charles Hyde. 

In August, he was married to Mrs. Eliza Danielson, widow of 
General Danielson, of Union, Connecticut, and immediately after- 
ward departed with his wife to Windsor, Vermont. 

Having received marching orders, Captain Eaton in September 
proceeded with his company to Albany, and from thence to New 
York and Philadelphia. At the latter place he was joined by some 



TRIED BY A COURT MARTIAL. 567 

other troops, and ordered to proceed with them to Pittsburg, and 
report himself to General Wayne. Shortly afterwards he joined the 
army at Legionville. 

In May, 1793, Captain Eaton, with the army, arrived at Cincin- 
nati. During his continuance with the western army, he was engaged 
in various skirmishes and scouting parties, and assisted in the erec- 
tion of Fort Recovery. In February, 1794, he obtained leave ot 
absence, and returned to Brimfield by way of Philadelphia. In June, 
by request of the secretary of war, he engaged in the recruiting ser- 
vice at Springfield. He remained in this service till October, 1795, 
when he marched with his troops to St. Mary's, Georgia. 

Soon after arriving at this station, Captain Eaton commenced the 
erection of Fort Pickering, at Colerain. 

The principal objects of the force at St. Mary's, were to keep the 
Creek Indians in check, and to repress any acts of violence on the part 
of the citizens of Georgia towards the inhabitants of Florida. The 
arrival of commissioners, in the month of May, 1796, who, on the 
part of the United States, effected a treaty with the Creek Indians, 
accomplished the chief object for which the troops had been marched 
to that station. 

During Eaton's stay at this station, a misunderstanding took place 
between him and Colonel Gaither, and other officers ; and in the 
month of August he was arrested and tried by a court martial. This 
affair is of some consequence, as an attempt was made by Colonel 
Burr, during his trial at Richmond, to destroy or set aside the credi- 
bility and even the competency of Eaton's testimony, on account of 
the various charges preferred against him.* 

He was charged with speculating on the men under his command, 
in the furnishing them with clothing ; with detaining bounty money, 
and paying to his men, in lieu thereof, goods at an advanced price ; 
with selling the public corn ; with defrauding the men under his 
command of rations due them ; with disobedience of orders, and 
with liberating a soldier who had caused the death of another, and 
tearing the charge in a contemptuous manner. 

These charges were ably refuted, but the court martial sentenced 
him to a two months' suspension from command. This decision was 
sent to Colonel Gaithers, for his approval; but on receiving it that 
officer imprisoned Eaton in Fort Pickering, despatched the proceed- 
ing of the court to the secretary of war, and after a month's confine- 
ment ordered his prisoner to the seat of government. The sentence 

• For a full statement of the trial which took place, we refer the reader to his letter to 
Mr. Pinckney, secretary of war, which, with the charges against him, and his defence, may 
be found in a " Life of General Eaton," published in Brooklield, in 1813. 



568 



WILLIAM EATON. 




of the court was not confirmed by the secretary of war, and on 
application to him, Eaton was permitted to retain his rank. 

In July of the following year, (1797,) Captain Eaton was com- 
missioned by the secretary of state to procure information relative 
to Blount's conspiracy, and to arrest the person of Dr. Romayne, and 
secure his papers. This he accomplished in two days. 

HORTLY after this, he was appointed consul 
of the United States for the kingdom of 
Tunis, and prior to his departure for that 
country was charged with despatches to Mr. 
Gerry, then at Cambridge, and about sailing 
for France. After delivering the despatches 
he returned to Brimfield, where he spent the 
autumn. In the winter he visited Ohio, 
where he remained till the following March, 
when he returned home. On the 1 2th of November following, he 
received notice from the secretary of state, that the vessels destined 
for Algiers were ready to sail. He took leave of his family, and on 
the 18th, arrived at Philadelphia. 

From this period dates the most important part of Eaton's public 
life. The theatre of his action, was now in a barbarous country, 
the character of which gave ample scope to, his vigorous character, 
and his love of strange adventure. 

On the 22d of December 1798, Mr. Eaton embarked on board the 
United States brig Sophia, bound to Algiers. In company with the 
Sophia were the Hero, a vessel of 350 tons, laden with naval stores 
for the Dey of Algiers ; the Hassan Bashaw, a brig of 275 tons, 
the Skjoldabrand, a schooner of 250 tons, and the Lela Eisha : the 
four latter named vessels were destined by the United States, to be 
delivered to the Dey of Algiers as payment of stipulations and arrear- 
ages due him. 

Eaton arrived in Algiers, February 9th, 1799, where he remained 
in company with Mr. O'Brian the consul-general of the United States 
for the Barbary coast, until March. 

The vessels that sailed with the Sophia were delivered to the 
Regency, and on the 22d of February the consuls were presented 
at the palace. The following extract from Eaton's journal, gives an 
account of the ceremonies on that occasion. 

" February 22d. — Consul O'Brian, Cathcart, and myself, Captain 
Geddes, Smith, Penrose, and Maley, proceeded from the American 
house to the court-yard of the palace, uncovered our heads, entered 
the area of the hall, ascended a winding maze of five flights of stairs, 
to a narrow dark entry leading to a contracted apartment, of about 



AUDIENCE OF THE DEY. 



569 



twelve by eight feet, the private audience room. Here we took off 
our shoes, and, entering the cave, (for so it seemed) with small 
apertures of light with iron grates, we were shown to a huge shaggy- 
beast, sitting on his rump, upon a low bench, covered with a cushion 
of embroidered velvet, with his hind legs gathered up like a tailor or a 
bear. On our approach to him, he reached out his fore paw as if to 
receive something to eat. Our guide exclaimed, " Kiss the Dey's 
hand !" The consul-general bowed very elegantly, and kissed it, and 
we followed his example in succession. The animal seemed at that 
moment, to be in a harmless mode ; he grinned several times, but 
made very little noise. Having performed this ceremony, and stand- 
ing a few moments in silent agony, we had leave to take our shoes 
and other property, and leave the den, without any other injury than 
the humility of being obliged, in this involuntary manner, to violate 
the second commandment of God, and offend common decency. 

" Can any man believe that, this elevated brute has seven kino-s of 
Europe, two republics, and a continent tributary to him, when 
his whole naval force is not equal to two line of battle ships ? It- 
is so !" 

On the 2d of March, Mr. Eaton sailed from Algiers for Tunis, but 
owing to contrary winds, did not reach his destination until the 12th. 
IS first interview with the Bey was obtained 
for him on the 15th. The immediate busi- 
ness which he had to discuss with the govern- 
ment of Tunis, grew out of an article in a 
treaty negotiated by Mr. Fannin, (acting 
American agent,) on the part of the United 
States. The particulars of this dispute were 
as follows : 

In August, 1797, Joseph Etienne Fannin, a French merchant, 
residing at Tunis, and agent for the United States there, negotiated 
a treaty with the regency of Tunis. After some discussion by the 
senate of the United States, in March, 1798, this treaty was ratified 
with the exception of the fourteenth article, which was in these 
words : 

" XIV. The citizens of the United States of America, who shall 
transport into the kingdom of Tunis the merchandize of their coun- 
try, in the vessels of their nation, shall pay three per cent. duty. Such 
as may be laden by such citizens under a foreign flag coming from 
the United States or elsewhere, shall pay ten per cent. duty. Such 
as may be laden by foreigners on board of American vessels coming 
from any place whatever, shall also pay ten per cent. duty. If any 
Tunisian merchant wishes to carry merchandize from his country, 




570 WILLIAM EATON. 

under any flag whatever, into the United States of America, and on 
his own account, he shall pay three per cent, duty." 

Though the treaty was ratified by the United States senate, with 
the exception of the above mentioned article, there were objection- 
able stipulations in others, which the United States agents were, by 
the secretary of state, instructed to have modified ; the 14th article 
to read as follows : 

" Article XIV. All vessels belonging to the citizens and inhabit- 
ants of the United States, shall be permitted to enter the different 
ports of the kingdom of Tunis, and freely trade with the subjects 
and inhabitants thereof, on paying the usual duties that are paid by 
all other nations at peace with the regency. In like manner all 
vessels belonging to the subjects and inhabitants of the kingdom of 
Tunis shall be permitted to enter the different ports of the United 
States, and freely trade with the citizens and inhabitants thereof, on 
paying the usual duties that are paid by all other nations at peace 
with the United States." 

Besides being instructed to have certain articles of the treaty 
modified, the American agents were to offer the government of Tunis 
a sum of money as an equivalent for the naval and military stores, 
stipulated to be delivered at Tunis by the United States. The value 
of these stores at Tunis was estimated at $35,000. The agents 
were instructed to increase the sum to $100,000, if thought neces- 
sary. Should the Tunisian government insist upon the delivery of 
the stores, and refuse to alter the disputed article without an addi- 
tional stipulation, the agents were authorized to offer $5,000 in 
cash, and in case the alternative was an immediate war, they were 
to offer $10,000. 

If the agents found all their efforts to preserve peace ineffectual, 
they were to keep the negotiation pending as long as possible ; and 
in order that effectual measures might be taken to secure American 
vessels from the perils of an anticipated war, they were instructed 
to despatch letters to the consul-general at Algiers, to the American 
consuls in all the ports of the Mediterranean, and to the American 
ministers in Spain and Portugal. 

Under these perplexing difficulties, Mr. Eaton succeeded in having 
the disputed article amended, though not to the extent he wished. 
After this he proposed sending forward a cruiser as an equivalent for 
the stipulated stores. The bey made answer that one cruiser would 
not be enough. "I have a head," said he, "you cannot overreach 
me." " If you act politically," continued he, " you will make me a 
compliment of a cruiser in addition to the stipulated stores." Eaton 
replied, that whatever the United States had agreed to, they would 



DEMAND OF A PRESENT. 571 

give. " I do not suppose," said the bey, " you will study to cheat 
me ; this is a characteristic of low life ; but I find you closely 
attached to your interest : so we all are." 

The bey retired, and the American agents withdrew to the Sapi- 
tapa's (the keeper of the seals,) department, where the alterations 
were inserted in the original treaty. The sapitapa took this oppor- 
tunity to demand a present for the bey, as it was a custom of 
all other nations. The American agents, however, preremptorily 
refused. 

On the 26th of March, the treaty as amended, was delivered to 
the American agents by the bey. The demand of a present for the 
bey was again made by the sapitapa, and again refused. " We told 
him," said Eaton, fn his journal, " that the bey had not admitted us 
to the privileges of all other nations ; he ought not therefore to 
expect the usages from us. He had refused us a salute, except on 
terms repugnant to our honor and our interest. He had extorted 
from us the concession of suffering our merchantmen to be pressed 
into his service, and had exacted threefold the duty in his ports, which 
he had received from any other nation. He had therefore less pre- 
text to claim of us the same considerations. At any rate, we should 
make no stipulation of this kind. The negotiation was closed. This 
was entering upon a new negotiation, which neither our instructions 
nor our inclination led us to enter upon." 

Mr. Fannin, who was present at this interview, said that he had 
received a letter from the consul-general, instructing him to make 
the necessary provision to meet this demand. When called upon to 
produce the letter, by Mr. Eaton, he could not ; and thus proved to 
Mr. Eaton that Fannin was manifestly in the interest of the court, 
and prepared to countenance all their projects of plunder. On the 
1st of April Mr. Cathcart embarked in the brig Sophia for Tripoli. 

The demand for a present for the bey was frequently reiterated, 
but Mr. Eaton as frequently refused compliance. " It is hard," says 
Mr. Eaton, in a letter to the secretary of state, "to negotiate where 
the terms are wholly ex parte. The Barbary powers are indulged 
in the habit of dictating their own terms of negotiation. Even the 
English, as the. consul himself informed me, on his arrival and re- 
ception here, had furnished him a present in cash and other articles, 
valued in England at seventeen thousand pounds sterling. But Tunis 
trembles at the voice of England. This, then, must be a political 
intrigue of England to embarrass the other mercantile Christian 
nations ; and it has the effect. To the United States they believe 
they can dictate terms. Why should they not ? Or why should they 
believe it will ever be otherwise ? They have seen nothing in America 



572 



WILLIAM EATON. 



to controvert this opinion. And all our talk of resistance and re- 
prisal they saw as the swaggering of a braggadocio. They are at 
present seriously concerned, through fear that the English and Ame- 
ricans are in offensive and defensive alliance. The report is current, 
and I have taken occasion to cherish it by being seen frequently with 
the British consul, dining with him, and holding secret intercourse. 
But whatever stratagem may be used to aid our measures, it is cer- 
tain that there is no access to the permanent friendship of these 
states, without paving the way with gold or cannon balls ; and the 
proper question is, which method is preferable ? So long as they hold 
their own terms, no estimate can be made of the expense of main- 
taining a peace. They are under no restraints of Iionor nor honesty. 
There is not a scoundrel among them, from the prince to the mu- 
leteer, who will not beg and steal. Yet when I proposed to the 
sapitapa to-day to substitute money in lieu of the present, he said 
that the bey had too high a sense of honor to receive a bribe ; he 
would receive a present ; but it would affront him to offer him 
money." 

Although the bey had refused to listen to a cash proposition, Mr. 
Eaton, on the 14th of April, made him a tender, and proposed fifty 
thousand dollars in full of all demands. This was refused, and 
answer made, " that were two hundred and fifty thousand dollars 
offered in lieu of the stores, it would not be accepted." " Consult 
your government," said the bey, " I give them six months to give 
me an answer and to send the presents. If they come in that time, 
well ; if not, take down your flag and go home." 

N the 4th of July, Mr. Eaton again waited on the 
bey, and requested him to state what sum would 
satisfy his claims, and cancel his demands. " No 
sum whatever ; you need not think more of it," 
was the sharp reply. Mr. Eaton now considered 
the ultimatum which he had been instructed to pro- 
pose, as finally rejected ; and was convinced that the com- 
merce of the United States had been marked out as an object 
of Tunisian piracy. 

In July, the bey demanded from all tributary nations, in- 
cluding the American, immediate supplies of naval stores, and that a 
ship should be chartered by our consul to bring out the American con- 
tribution without delay. After some days discussion, however, the 
demand was dropped. 

Considering it necessary that his government should be made ac- 
quainted with the existing state of affairs, Mr. Eaton directed Dr. 
Shaw, of the brig Sophia, to be ready on the 12th of October, to 




NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE BEY. 



573 



proceed to England, and consult with the American minister there 
concerning certain jewels, demanded by the bey as a present, and 
the mode of procuring them at the lowest price ; to carry a memo- 
randum of the same to the United States, and to transmit a copy to 
the consul at Tunis. Hence, he was to proceed, with these instruc- 
tions, to Philadelphia, the seat of government. This measure of 
Mr. Eaton's received the approbation of the consul-general at Al- 
giers ; and the bey himself regarded it as a proof of a sincere inten- 
tion to fulfil the stipulations of the treaty. 

On the 27th of December, information was received by Mr. Eaton, 
througli Mr. O'Brian, that the frigates United States and Constitu- 
tion would probably bring out the articles intended for the bey. He 
immediately communicated this to the bey, with an assurance that 
the vessels would probably arrive in January, but to the astonish- 
ment and mortification of the bey, he was disappointed. 

HE prospect of a speedy ad- 
justment again became cloud- 
ed, until the arrival of the 
Sophia, March 24th, 1800, 
when Mr. Eaton received a 
communication from the se- 
cretary of state, and a letter 
from the president to the 
bey ; the former containing 
instructions relative to the 
purchase of the jewels. The 
president's letter was so flat- 
tering to the bey, that he 
thanked God, and expressed 
a wish for the safe and 
speedy arrival of the ship spoken of. For his services in managing 
these affairs, Eaton received the approbation of the president, and 
the warmest expressions of friendship from Mr. Pickering, then 
secretary of state. 

On the 12th of April, 1800, the ship Hero arrived at Tunis, with 
a portion of the stipulated stores, naval and military, of a quality 
superior to anything heretofore seen in Tunis. This removed all 
apprehension of war for the present, and relieved Mr. Eaton from 
many embarrassments. His designs against the Americans being 
stopped, the bev now let loose his corsairs upon the commerce of 
Denmark. On the 2Sth of June he declared war against the king 
of Denmark, in consequence of an old dispute, and ordered the 
consul-general, Mr. Hammekin, to quit the kingdom. Hammekin 




574 



WILLIAM EATON. 



solicited Mr. Eaton to take charge of the Danish affairs. This pro- 
position was acceded to, as there were no rival interests between the 
two nations. 

By the 16th of July, eight Danish vessels had been captured, 
and their crews amounting to about one hundred men, were 
reduced to slavery. The estimated value of the ships, cargo, 
and slaves, was four hundred and eleven thousand dollars. The 
masters of six of the captured vessels desired Eaton to redeem their 
property, with the understanding that they would open a credit at 
Leghorn. Mr. Eaton examined the vessels, made an offer which 
was accepted ; the bargain concluded, and the mode of payment 
fixed ; but the Danish masters failed to fulfil their promises, and in 
consequence Mr. Eaton was left with six vessels as yet unpaid for. 

Although an opportunity was now offered him for realizing a hand- 
some profit from the sale of this property, yet, after all the difficulties 
had been adjusted, he surrendered the vessels to their respective 
masters, simply on the condition of his credit with the government 
being redeemed, and his disbursements repaid. This act of disin- 
terested generosity, received the acknowledgments of the Danish 
admiral on the spot, and subsequently the most emphatic expressions 
of gratitude from the Danish monarch. 

Towards the end of November, 1800, the ship Anna Maria arrived 
at Tunis, with naval stores, to the amount of twelve thousand 
dollars. 

The cargo of the Anna Maria did not satisfy the avarice of the 
bey, he still demanded a present of jewels, and so frequent were his 
demands that orders were finally given to Eaton, to purchase them 
in England, by means of the American minister there. 

While Mr. Eaton was arranging matters peaceably with the Bey 
of Tunis, the affairs of the United States were verging to a war with 
Tripoli. 

The Bashaw's demands were exorbitant, and the examples of other 
Christian nations, in submitting to his degrading exactions, made it 
absolutely impossible for Mr. Cathcart, the American consul, to nego- 
tiate with any success. In February, 1801, all American vessels 
were cautioned to quit the Mediterranean, on account of the threats 
of the bashaw, who was at that time fitting out corsairs against the 
American merchantmen. Mr. Cathcart was obliged to leave Tripoli, 
trusting Mr. Nissen, (the Danish ambassador,) with the affairs of the 
United States during his absence. Eaton immediately opened a 
correspondence with that gentleman, for the purpose of making 
arrangements for the comfort and subsistence of all American 
prisoners that might be carried into any of -the Tripolitan ports. 




M% 



DEMANDS OF TRIPOLI. 575 

Cathcart's despatches were sent to Mr. Eaton, to be forwarded by 
him to the United States. In these despatches were mentioned the 
demands of the Bashaw, on condition of sparing the United States. 
Two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars prompt payment, and 
twenty-five thousand annually. " If our government," says Eaton, in 
a letter accompanying these despatches, " yield these terms to the 
Bashaw of Tripoli, it will be absolutely necessary to make provisions 
for a requisition of double the amount for the Bey of Tunis. Algiers 
will also be respected according to rank. If the United States will have 
a free commerce in this sea, they must defend it. There is no alterna- 
tive. The restless spirit of these marauders cannot be restrained." 
^Sr^fN addition to the presents already received from the 
' United States, the Bey of Tunis demanded forty 
iron twenty-four pounders as a token of friendship 
of the American president ; and a few days subse- 
quently, a supply of ten thousand stand of arms ; 
and, ordered Eaton to state these demands to his 
government without delay. This Eaton positively 
refused to do, insisting that it was impossible for the United States 
to comply with such unreasonable demands. " The Bey of Tunis," 
said he, " has already received large presents from the United 
States, and a sense of gratitude ought to restrain the bey from 
making so extraordinary a demand." The minister of the bey 
replied to Eaton, "Your peace depends on your compliance with 
this demand of my master." " If so," said Eaton, " on me be the 
responsibility of breaking the peace. I wish you a good morning." 

Eaton, finding his representations treated with apparent neglect, 
became disgusted with his situation, and repeatedly requested per- 
mission to return home. But the president, Mr. Jefferson, who had 
just succeeded Mr. Adams, unwilling to lose the services of so 
efficient an agent, urged him to remain at his post. 

Under the new administration the affairs with the Barbary powers 
took a more active turn. Immediately on the receipt of the news 
that war had been declared by Tripoli, preparations were made for 
fitting out a sufficient force, to protect the commerce of the United 
States in the Mediterranean. 

On the 17th of July, 1801, Commodore Dale arrived at Tunis, in 
the United States frigate President, in company with the Enterprise, 
the Essex, and the Philadelphia. The arrival of this fleet produced 
a strong sensation at the palace. 

Immediately after the arrival of this fleet at Tunis, Eaton issued a 
circular, declaring Tripoli in a state of blockade, and that all vessels 
attempting to enter that port would be dealt with according to the 



576 



WILLIAM EATON. 




Commo&oTe Dale. 

laws of nations in such cases. Application was instantly made to 
Eaton to modify the blockade, so as not to affect the interests of 
Tunis. This Eaton firmly refused to do. 

The American fleet arrived before Tripoli on the 26th of July. The 
bashaw proposed a trtfce, but his terms were rejected. In a letter to 
Commodore Dale, Eaton says, " Tripoli is in great distress. The 
corsairs are all at sea. She is starving in her capital, and will be 
thrown into consternation at your unexpected appearance. If this 
position, which the good providence of God gives us, can be sternly 
held for a few months, Tripoli will be compelled to ash for peace on 
our own terms. The object is so desirable, that it seems worth 
exertions ; more especially so, as Algiers and Tunis are looking to 
this rupture as a precedent for their intercourse with the United 
States." 

A few years before the American war, the reigning Bashaw of 
Tripoli had usurped the throne, which had been rightfully held by 
his elder brother, Hamet Caramelli, whom he had driven into exile 
It was now suggested to restore the banished prince, and thus inflict 
a signal chastisement on the reigning bashaw. In order to carry out 
this scheme, Eaton sought out Hamet, who was at that time residing 
at Tunis, under the protection of the bey. Hamet willingly entered 



eaton's voyage to Naples. 577 

into the scheme. It was agreed between them that Hamet should 
make an attack by land while the vessels of the United States 
engaged in active operations by sea. 

In a letter to Mr. Samuel Lyman, member of Congress, Eaton 
urged that Tripoli should be bombarded, and vessels sent for that 
purpose. He also volunteered to assist the enterprise, in any charac- 
ter, consistent with his former rank and present station, with two 
thousand light, active troops ; urging that as affairs in Tunis were 
tranquil, he would be of more service at Tripoli than at Tunis, as 
he was acquainted with all the tactics of the Barbary land forces, 
and for this reason would probably have some influence in assisting 
the manoeuvres of an assault. " If such an enterprise should be 
resolved on, an adjutant and inspector-general to the troops, would 
be requisite. I should he willing to take that office upon myself 
during the war." Had these, suggestions of Eaton been listened to, 
the project, would doubtless have been crowned with complete 
success. 

On the 1st of December, the ship Peace and Plenty arrived at 
Tunis with another supply of naval and military stores for the bey. 
Immediately after, Mr. Eaton left the affairs of the United States in 
the hands of Dr. William Turner, of the United States navy, and 
obtained permission of the bey to take a short voyage for his health. 

He arrived at Naples on the 21st of December, and while there, 
obtained permission from the king to land Moorish prisoners on his 
territory, should any such be taken by the Americans. He also 
obtained permission from the king of Sardinia, who happened to be 
in Naples, for the American fleet to enter the ports of his island and 
procure provisions. 

Oh the 30th of January, 1802, he arrived at Leghorn, but, the 
voyage not being as beneficial to his health as he had expected, he 
resolved to return immediately to Tunis. His departure was hastened 
by the receipt of intelligence that the Bashaw of Tripoli was making 
overtures to Hamet, in order to frustrate the contemplated enterprise 
against his territories. He arrived at Tunis on the 12th of March, 
and found Hamet on the point of yielding to the solicitations of the 
bashaw, who had offered him the government of Deme, a province 
of Tripoli. 

Eaton represented the impropriety of such a step to Hamet, and 
the probable consequences to himself, telling him that in case he 
yielded to the solicitations of the bashaw, he and his retinue should 
be sent as prisoners of war to the United States. This determined 
language of Eaton produced its desired effect upon Hamet, and he 
readily yielded to any terms that the consul saw fit to prescribe. 



37 



578 



WILLIAM EATON. 




Commodore Eainbridge. 



Eaton therefore sent Harriet to Malta, there to await the arrival of 
the American fleet, then proceed with it to Tripoli, and demand the 
restitution of his throne and his rights. 

On the 24th of May, Mr. Eaton was summoned before the bey, and 
offered a proposition of peace with Tripoli, through the mediation 
of the government of Tunis. A small present was also demanded 
for the bashaw. This was positively refused, and an angry discus- 
sion ensued. 

Mr. Eaton gave an account of his arrangements with Hamet to 
Captains Barron and Bainbridge, of the squadron, immediately after 
their arrival. These gentlemen strenuously opposed the scheme, 
and " Captain Murray," says Eaton, " coincided with their views, 
and rejected the scheme in an air of authority and reprimand which 
I should not expect even from the highest departments of govern- 
ment." 

On the Gth of July, the American brig Franklin was captured by 
a Tripolitan corsair, and carried into Biserta. The vessel and cargo 
were sold to the commercial agent of the bey, and the men were 
chained in the hold of a Tripolitan galley. Every effort was made 
to alleviate the sufferings of the unhappy prisoners, and to procure 
their release, but all to no purpose, until set at liberty through the 



EATON RETURNS TO THE UNITED STATES. 



579 




interposition of Algiers. Eaton's measures with Harriet had involved 
him in an expense of twenty-three thousand dollars, which he was 
unable to pay, all his means having been exhausted by the rapacity 
and extortion of the pirates, among whom he had spent the last four 
years. He was viewed by the regency with a jealous eye, and re- 
garded as an enemy to the Barbary interests. Accordingly, on the 
arrival of Commodore Morris at Tunis, the bey seized him as secu- 
rity for payment. Eaton warmly remonstrated against this act of 
violence, urging that he alone was responsible, in his representative 
capacity. His plea was unavailing. 

DAY or two subsequent to this proceeding, Mr. 
Eaton, the commodore, Mr. Cathcart and Mr. 
Rogers, waited on the bey at his palace. 
Eaton spoke in strong terms against the na- 
tional indignity and breach of hospitality, in 
thus detaining the commodore ; stated that 
he had large means in his possession of meet- 
ing the debt, and declared that he had been 
prevented from making a more seasonable payment by the frauds 
of his (the bey's) minister, who had absolutely robbed him. An 
angry discussion ensued, which ended in Mr. Eaton being ordered 
to quit the country. He replied, " I shall depart with the consolation 
that I have, not been your slave." 

Eaton arrived at Boston May 5th, 1803, and soon after joined his 
family at Brimfield, from whom he had been separated four years 
and a half. In the summer he repaired to Washington for the pur- 
pose of adjusting his accounts, and of urging the adoption of vigor- 
ous measures against Tripoli, after which he returned to Brimfiold. 

In January, 1804, he again repaired to Washington, to complete 
his unfinished business. The department of state having refused to 
pay the money expended in concerting measures with the exiled 
bashaw, and other smaller claims, Eaton addressed a long and able 
letter to the speaker of the house of representatives. In this, he 
explained the grounds on which the expenditures had been made, 
defended by able, argument his proposed attack on Tripoli ; drew 
with vigor the character and policy of the Barbary powers, and the 
necessity of an effectual naval and military display in the Mediter- 
ranean, and proved conclusively his disinterestedness and integrity 
by indisputable facts. 

In April he was appointed navy agent of the United States for the 
Barbary powers. Receiving information shortly after that the exiled 
bashaw had taken the field, and gained some advantages, he pro- 
posed to the president an effectual co-operation. 



580 



WILLIAM EATON. 



The president at first determined to send out as a loan, some field 
artillery, a thousand stand of arms, and forty thousand dollars, and 
Eaton undertook to lead the enterprise. 

Before however the squadron was ready to take its departure 
information was received that the exiled bashaw had retired to Alex- 
andria, in Egypt, for want of supplies. 

Eaton was now ordered upon the expedition without any special 
instructions for himself or Commodore Barron. His situation was 
embarrassing, as he bore with him no evidence of the friendly dis- 
position of his government towards Hamet. 

Eaton, in June, embarked on board the squadron destined for 
the Mediterranean, consisting of the frigates John Adams, the 
President, the Congress, the Essex, and the Constellation, under 
the command of Commodore Barron, and Captains Rogers, Bar- 
ron, Campbell, and Chauncey. On the first of December, they 
entered the mouth of the Nile, and on the 8th arrived at Grand 
Cairo, where they were received with every mark of respect by the 
viceroy. 

In the war raging in Egypt between the Mameluke Beys and the 
government of the viceroy, Hamet, by a series of disasters, was 
forced to join the former. Eaton, on receiving information of this 
fact, immediately solicited an audience of the viceroy for the purpose 
of obtaining a letter of amnesty for the bashaw. This audience 
was granted, and the viceroy was so pleased with the ingenious 
flattery of Eaton, that he granted a letter of amnesty to the exile, 
and permission to pass the Turkish lines unmolested. 

Despatching secret couriers with the letter of amnesty and the 
passport of safe conduct, Eaton proceeded to Alexandria, there to 
await the arrival of a letter from Hamet, relative to a place of in- 
terview. Shortly after his arrival at Alexandria, Hamet wrote that 
he had selected a place of interview, near Lake Fayoum on the 
border of the desert, and about one hundred and ninety miles from 
the sea-coast. 

Notwithstanding the hazards of travelling through a country 
exposed to all the horrors of civil war, Eaton left Alexandria with 
two officers from the Argus, and an escort of twenty-three men ; but 
they had proceeded but about seventy-five miles on their route when 
they found themselves arrested at the Turkish lines. Their situation 
Mas now extremely embarrassing. 

The Turkish commander's suspicions were however soon quieted 
by the flattery of Eaton ; he complimented him for his correctness 
of military conduct, and obtained an audience, in which he stated 
his plans, and their beneficial results to the Turkish interests in 



EATON MARCHES ACROSS THE DESERT. 581 

Egypt. The Turk finally yielded, and calling a young Arab chief to 
his tent despatched him in search of Harriet. 

As soon as Eaton was joined by Harriet, they proceeded to Alex- 
andria ; but here they were exposed to new difficulties, bv the 
intrigues of the French consul, who represented the Americans as 
English spies in disguise. Their progress was not however much 
impeded ; for the bashaw having resolved to march by land to 
Derne and Bengazi, moved round Lake Jlceris, and formed his camp 
at Arab's Tower, thirty miles west of the old fort of Alexandria. 

In March, 1805, the caravan was arranged at Arab's Tower, and 
the forces organized. 

The whole number of the forces did not exceed four hundred, 
including Christians, (Greeks, and Arabs. The caravan consisted of 
about one hundred camels and a few asses. 

On the 8th of March, the march across the desert was commenced ; 
but they had not proceeded over fifteen miles, ere some difficulties 
occurred with the camel drivers ; they demanded the hire for their 
camels paid in advance. This demand was refused. The bashaw 
was irresolute and despondent. Money, it appeared, was the only 
stimulus that could give motion to the camp. Eaton saw this, and 
immediately ordered the Christians under arms, and feigning a 
countermarch, threatened to abandon the expedition and the bashaw. 
This project had its desired effect ; the march was immediately 
resumed. On the 18th, the caravan arrived at the Arab castle 
Masroscah. Here Eaton learned for the first time that the caravan 
was freighted only to this place, nor could they be induced to proceed 
further unless they were previously paid. The march was again 
resumed, but was very slow, chiefly through indecision and want 
of energy on the part of the bashaw ; on the 28th they arrived at 
the castle Shemees. Their progress thus far had been through an 
almost barren and uninhabited wilderness. Meanwhile the forces 
under the bashaw and Eaton had somewhat increased in numbers, 
by the addition of several tribes of the Arabs favorable to the exiled 
bashaw. On the 30th the march was resumed, the forces now 
amounting to about twelve hundred men. The trials of Eaton from 
the 30th of March to the 10th of April were severe. Provisions 
were scanty, and the Arabs on that account frequently mutinied, and 
threatened to abandon the expedition. On the 10th of April a cou- 
rier arrived in Eaton's camp with information that the American 
vessels expected, were lying off Bomba and Derne, loaded with pro- 
visions. Despondency was now changed to enthusiasm, but on 
arriving at Bomba no vessels were to be seen. The port was entirely 
desolate, not a single foot trace of a human being was to be seen. 



582 WILLIAM EATON. 

Eaton's situation was distressing in the extreme. The vessels had 
been seen by many of the Arab couriers, and Eaton concluded that 
they had left the coast in despair of his arrival. 

After consultation, the enraged Arab chiefs resolved to abandon the 
forces of Eaton and the bashaw the next morning. Eaton kept up 
fires all night on a high mountain in the rear of the camp. These 
fires had the desired effect. At eight o'clock the next morning, the 
ship Argus, Captain Hull, hove in sight. At twelve o'clock Eaton 
went on board, and provisions and water were sent ashore to the 
almost famished men. The next day, the 17th, the sloop Hornet 
arrived, laden with provisions. 

On the 23d, the necessary provisions being landed, the march 
towards Derne was resumed. The face of the country was now 
changed ; they were approaching cultivated fields, for the first time 
since leaving Egypt. Orders were immediately issued by the bashaw 
for no one to touch the growing harvest. He who transgressed this 
injunction was to lose his right hand. On the 24th, they encamped 
in a fertile valley, about five hours march from Derne. 

At six o'clock the next morning, orders were given for marching, 
but the Arabs and Bedouins mutinied, and refused to proceed further. 
After much persuasion, however, and the promise of two thousand 
dollars to be shared among the chiefs, they were prevailed on to 
advance, and at two o'clock p. m. of that day they encamped on an 
eminence overlooking Derne. 

In reconnoitering the city, Eaton discovered that the governor's 
defence consisted of a water battery of eight nine-pounders towards 
the north-east, some temporary breastworks and walls of old build- 
ings to the south-east, and along the bay, one-third of the inhabitants 
of the city, who were in the interest of the reigning bashaw, had 
provided their terraces and the walls of their houses with loopholes. 
In addition to these defences, the governor had also a ten-inch 
howitzer mounted on the terrace of his palace. 

On the morning of the 20th, a flag of truce was sent to the bey, 
with terms of amity, on condition of allegiance and fidelity. The 
flag was returned by the bey with the laconic answer, " My head or 
yours!" 

On the morning of the 27th a favorable breeze enabled the Hornet 
and Nautilus to approach the shore, which at that point was a steep 
and rugged declivity of rocks. With a great deal of difficulty one 
of the field-pieces was landed and drawn up the precipice. The 
forces under Eaton and the bashaw now advanced to their posi- 
tions. A fire was opened upon the shipping, which was returned by 
Lieutenant Evans, who had stood in and anchored within one hun- 



CAPTUUE OF DERNE. 



583 




Commodore Hull. 

dred yards of the battery. Lieutenant Dant anchored in position to 
bring his guns to bear upon the battery and city. Captain Hull 
brought the Argus to anchor a little south of the Nautilus, and near 
enough to the city to throw a twenty-four pound shot into the town. 
Lieutenant O'Bannou, with a detachment of six American marines, 
twenty-four cannoniers, and twenty-six Greeks, together with a few 
Arabs on foot, took position on an eminence, directly opposite to a 
considerable body of the enemy, who had their post in a ravine in 
the south-east quarter of the town. The bashaw took possession of 
an old castle overlooking the town on the south south-west, and dis- 
played his cavalry upon a plain in his rear. At a quarter before two 
o'clock, the action between the Americans and the Tripolitans became 
general. In less than one hour the battery was silenced, but not 
altogether abandoned ; those who did abandon it, joined the enemy 
opposed to Eaton's small force. This augmentation of the enemy's 
force threw that of Eaton's into confusion. A charge was now his 
last and only resort. His force rushed upon the enemy, although 
they were outnumbered ten to one. The enemy fled in confusion, 
but kept up a constant fire from every palm-tree and partition in the 
way of their retreat. Eaton received a ball through his left wrist, 



584 



WILLIAM EATON 




Capture of Derne. 



which deprived him of the use of his rifle ; but Lieutenant O'Ban- 
non urged forward the forces under his command, and amid a heavy 
fire of musketry, forced their way to the battery, which they took 
possession of, and planting the American flag upon its ramparts, 
turned its guns upon the flying enemy. The fire of the vessels, 
which had been suspended during the charge, was now opened upon 
the town. The bashaw, with little difficulty, had obtained posses- 
sion of the palace of the bey ; and a few minutes after four o'clock 
the troops under Eaton and the bashaw had obtained complete pos- 
session of the town, after an action of about two hours and a half. 
All remained quiet till the 13th of May, when the bey, having re- 
ceived correct information of the number of Christians on shore, 
and assured that the forces under Hamet and Eaton would desert on 
the approach of Joseph Bashaw's forces, advanced w ith a large force 
and attacked a detachment of about one hundred of Hamet's cavalry, 
who were posted about a mile from the town. This force defended 
themselves bravely, but were at last compelled to give way to supe- 
riority of numbers. The enemy pursued them under a fire from the 
vessels, even to the palace of the bashaw. Although they were now 
exposed to a galling fire from the houses in the vicinity of the palace, 
they seemed determined to obtain possession of the person of the 



CONCLUSION OF A TREATY. 585 

bashaw. Fortunately, however, a well-directed volley of one of the 
nine-pounders killed two of the enemy near the palace. They 
instantly sounded a retreat, and, abandoning the town at all quar- 
ters, they were pursued by Hamet's cavalry until they came under 
the fire of the vessels. 

The enemy showed themselves frequently after this, but would 
not hazard another engagement until the 1 1th of June, when having 
received fresh reinforcements of Arabs, they again commenced the 
attack. After an action of four hours they retreated, leaving their 
horses in possession of the bashaw. 

In the evening of the 1 1th of June, "Eaton received a letter from 
Colonel Lear, American consul-general, informing him that peace 
had been concluded with the reigning bashaw, and desiring him to 
evacuate the town. 

The colonel had been appointed a commissioner to negotiate a 
peace with Tripoli, under the instructions and advice of Commo- 
dore Barron, commander of the American naval forces in the Medi- 
terranean. 

Agreeably therefore to the instructions of the commodore he 
repaired to Tripoli, in the Essex, on the 26th of May, and immedi- 
ately opened a communication with the bashaw. The demands of 
the bashaw were $200,000 for peace and ransom, and on the part 
of the Americans, the delivery of all the Tripolitans in their posses- 
sion, and the restoration of all their property. 

These terms were indignantly rejected, and the following proposed 
which were finally accepted : " That a mutual exchange of prisoners 
should take place, and as the bashaw had a balance of more than 
two hundred in his favor, $60,000 were offered as a ransom for them, 
but not one cent should he have for peace. Colonel Lear in his letter 
to General Eaton, giving an account of the conclusion of pea e with 
the bashaw, mentions that the only terms he could procure from the 
bashaw, for his exiled brother, were, that in case he should leave 
his dominions, his wife and family should be restored to him. 

The preliminaries of peace were concluded on the 3d of June, 
and the next day the American prisoners were released. 

Eaton was dissatisfied with the terms upon which peace had been 
concluded ; considering that Mr. Lear had been too hasty. 

His appointment as navy agent of the United States having ceased 
with the war, he left Syracuse on the 6th of August, and arrived at 
Hampton Roads in November. At Richmond and Washington, he 
was honored by the citizens with public dinners. The president, in 
his message to Congress, made honorable mention of his name and 
services. 



586 



WILLIAM EATON. 



The legislature of Massachusetts voted a tract of ten thousand 
acres of unappropriated public land to him, his heirs, and assigns. 

In May, General Eaton was elected by the inhabitants of Brim- 
field a representative in the legislature of the state of Massachusetts, 
and in the same month was summoned to attend the trial of Aaron 
Burr and others, in the city of Richmond, (Virginia). This prevented 
his appearance at the legislature, until the commencement of its 
second session, in December. The town which had sent him, was 
decidedly federal, and expected from him a course of political conduct 
agreeable to their wishes ; but the delivery of a speech in which he 
condemned the conduct, and impeached the integrity of Chief Justice 
Marshall, occasioned the withdrawal of the confidence of both parties. 

The latter part of General Eaton's life was unhappy. He died 
June 1st, 1811, and was buried on the 4th, with military honors. 





MAJOR GENERAL JAMES WILKINSON. 



ENERAL WILKINSON was 

a native of Calvert county, 
Maryland, born about the year 
1757. He was educated under 
the care of a private tutor, un- 
til he arrived at the age of seventeen, 
when he commenced the study of law 
at Philadelphia. At this time he seems 
to have imbibed a taste for military 
affairs ; and at the opening of the revo- 
lution, he joined the army of General 
Washington, then besieging Boston. After the evacuation of that 
city, he joined Arnold's command, but was soon afterwards ordered 
to the main army, and fought in the battles of Trenton and Prince- 
ton. During the campaign against Burgoyne, he joined the staff of 

587 




588 



JAMES WILKINSON. 



General Gates, by whom he was appointed adjutant-general. His 
advice is said to have been solicited and followed by the general in 
several important measures. 

At the close of the revolution, Wilkinson engaged in various specu- 
lative transactions which do not seem to have yielded a compensation 
equal to his wishes. During the prospect />f war with France he 
again entered the army, and was employed at various military posts 
in the south and west. Afterwards he was one of the commissioners 
employed to negotiate the Louisiana treaty. 

The command of the expedition fitted out by government against 
Montreal and Kingston, during the war of 1812, devolved on Gene- 
ral Wilkinson. The overthrow of Proctor by General Harrison had 
rendered this a comparatively easy undertaking. He left Fort George, 
October 2d, 1813, and after attending to the depot at Sackett's 
Harbor, crossed Lake Ontario towards the St. Lawrence. He 
entered the river on the 2d of November, having encountered part 
of the British fleet on the previous day, and driven it back. The 
immediate command in this affair devolved on Brigadier-General 
Brown. On the 7th, he forwarded a summons to General Hampton, 
requesting him to join the expedition ; but this was not obeyed. The 
British continued to annoy the boats, during their descent down the 
river, until the debarkation of a part of the American forces at 
Chrystler's fields. During the greater part of this time, General 
Wilkinson was so unwell, as to be totally unfit for duty, and the 
command devolved on General Boyd. 

In the action at Chrystler's field, the British attacked in two sec- 
tions. A party also threw themselves into Chrystler's house, and by 
firing from this secure position, repulsed a brigade of the Americans, 
with the loss of one cannon. Soon after, the whole British line were 
forced to give ground. They then retired to their camp, and the 
Americans re-embarked. 

In this action, which lasted two hours, the forces on each side were 
about equal, numbering seventeen hundred. But those of the Ameri- 
cans were but raw recruits, while the British were veterans. The 
loss of the former was three hundred and thirty-nine, of whom one 
hundred and two were killed. 

In consequence of the refusal of General Hampton to join the 
expedition, General Wilkinson concluded that it would be useless to 
continue it, and accordingly crossed the St. Lawrence from Canada 
and went into winter quarters at French Mills. 

Early in February, the general received orders from government, 
to break up his encampment and retire to Plattsburg. On the 12th 
and 13th, he destroyed his flotilla, burned his barracks, and marched 



HIS DEATH. 



591 



by divisions towards the place designated. In the following month, 
he made an unsuccessful attack upon T ia Colle mill, being obliged to 
retire with the loss of one hundred and forty men. Immediately after 
this affair he was recalled by government, and his conduct during 
the whole expedition, made the subject of a court martial. He was 
acquitted of all blame. .. 

After the war, General Wilkinson removed to Mexico, where he 
owned much landed property. He died there December 28th, 1825. 



g»\ V\\"\l 








BRIGADIER GENERAL ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE. 



-EBULON M. PIKE was 
born at a place called Ala- 
matunk, now by corruption 
Lamberton, New Jersey, 
January 5, 1779. His fa- 
ther, whose name was Zebulon, was an 
officer in the army of the United States 
at the time of his son's birth, and never 
rose higher than the rank of major. 
After having received a common school 
education in early youth, Zebulon Mont- 
ES3 * gomery entered as a cadet into a com- 
pany then under his father's command, in which he served some time 
on the United States western frontiers. Thus, it may be justly said, 
that he had been almost nurtured a soldier from his cradle. His 
deficiency of early education was subsequently supplied by close 

592 




MARRIAGE OF PIKE. 593 

and ardent study ; hence he became a proficient in the Latin, French, 
and (afterwards) in the Spanish languages, and was skilled in the 
mathematical and astronomical sciences, the fruits of industrious 
application. 

A short lapse of time intervened, when the commission of ensign 
and afterwards of lieutenant in the first regiment of the United 
States infantry was given him. Spurning idleness in the calm of 
peace, he devoted his time to the acquisition of useful knowledge. 
But he panted for glory and martial renown. He seemed to be 
endued with a spirit not ill-suited to the chivalric notions of the 
middle ages. Notwithstanding the multifarious objects which attracted 
his attention in the pursuit of knowledge, Cupid seems to have in- 
flicted a wound in his bosom, for Hymen spread his net, and our hero 
was caught in the enticing snare. 

In March, 1801, he married Miss Clarissa Brown, of Cincinnati, 
Kentucky, who bore him several children, only one of whom (a 
daughter) survives. 

Among other habits of mental discipline, Pike had a practice of 
inserting upon the blank pages of some favorite volume such striking 
maxims of morality, or sentiments of honor, as occurred in his read- 
ing, or were suggested by his own reflections. He used a small 
edition of Dodsley's " Economy of Human Life" for this purpose. 
Soon after his marriage, he presented this volume to his wife, who 
long preserved it as one of the most precious memorials of her hus- 
band's virtues. An extract from one of the manuscript pages of this 
volume was published in a periodicalwork soon after his death. It 
was written as a continuation of the article " Sincerity," and is 
strongly characteristic of the author. 

" Should my country call for the sacrifice of that life which has 
been devoted to her service from early youth, most willingly shall 
she receive it. The sod which covers the brave shall be moistened 
by the tears of love and friendship ; but if I fall far from my friends, 
and from you, my Clara, remember that ' the choicest tears which 
are ever shed are those which bedew the unburied head of a soldier,' 

and, when these lines shall meet the eyes of our young , let 

the pages of this little book be impressed on his mind, as the gift of 
a father who had nothing to bequeath but his honor ; and let these 
maxims be ever present to his mind as he rises from youth to man- 
hood: 

" 1. Preserve your honor free from blemish ! 

" 2. Be always ready to die for your country ! 

"Z.M.Pike. 
" Kaskaskias, Indiana Territory." 

38 






594 ZEBUL0N M. PIKE. 

On the old peace establishment of our army, then composed only 
of a few regiments, and employed altogether in garrisoning a few 
frontier posts, promotion was slow, and the field of action limited 
and obscure. For several years, Lieutenant Pike panted in vain for 
an opportunity of gratifying that " all ruling passion" which, to use 
his own words, "swayed him irresistibly to the profession of arms, 
and the pursuits of military glory." 

At length, in 1805, a new career of honorable distinction was 
opened to this active and aspiring youth. Soon after the purchase 
of Louisiana, the government of the United States determined upon 
taking measures to explore their new territory, and that immense 
tract of wilderness included within its limits. Besides ascertaining 
its geographical boundaries, it was desirable to acquire some know- 
ledge of its soil and natural productions ; of the course of its rivers 
and their fitness for the purpose of navigation, and other uses of 
civilized life ; and also to gain particular information of the num- 
bers, character and power of the tribes of Indians who inhabited 
this territory, and their several dispositions towards the United States. 
With these views, while Captains Lewis and Clarke were sent to 
explore the unknown sources of the Missouri, Pike was despatched 
on a similar expedition for the purpose of tracing the Mississippi to 
its head. 

On the 9th of August, 1805, Pike accordingly embarked at St. 
Louis, and proceeded up the Mississippi, with twenty men, in a stout 
boat, provisioned for four months ; but they were soon obliged to 
leave their boats, and proceed on their journey by land, or in canoes, 
which they built and carried with them on their march, after leaving 
their large boat. Pike's own journal has been for some time before 
the public, and affords a much more satisfactory narrative of the 
expedition than the narrow limits of a work of this kind can allow. 
For eight months and twenty days this adventurous soldier and his 
faithful band were almost continually exposed to hardship and peril, 
depending for provisions upon the precarious fortunes of the chase ; 
enduring the most piercing cold, and cheerfully submitting to the 
most constant and harassing toils. They were sometimes, for days 
together without food, and they frequently slept without cover, on 
the bare earth or the snow, during the bitterest inclemency of a 
northern winter. During this voyage, Pike had no intelligent com- 
panion upon whom he could rely for any sort of advice or aid, and 
he literally performed the duties of astronomer, surveyor, command- 
ing officer, clerk, spy, guide, and hunter ; frequently preceding the 
party for many miles, in order to reconnoitre, or rambling for whole 
days in search of deer or other game, for provision, and then return- 



PIKE S WESTERN EXPEDITION. 



595 




Pike's Voyage on the Mississippi. 

mg to his men in the evening, hungry and fatigued, he would sit 
down in the open air, to copy by the light of a fire the notes of his 
journey, and to plot out the courses of the next day. 

His conduct towards the Indians was marked with equal good 
sense, firmness, and humanity ; he every where, without violence or 
fraud, induced them to submit to the government of the United 
States ; and he made use of the authority of his country to put an 
end to a savage warfare, which had, for many years, been carried on 
with the utmost cruelty and rancor between the Sioux and the Chip- 
peways, two of the most powerful nations of aborigines remaining 
on the North American continent. He also every where enforced 
with effect, the laws of the United States against supplying the 
savages with spirituous liquors. Thus, while he wrested their toma- 
hawks from their hands, and compelled them to bury the hatchet, 
he defended them from their own vices, and, in the true spirit of 
humanity and honor, rejected with disdain that cruel and dastardly 
policy which seeks the security of the civilized man in the debase- 
ment of the savage. 

In addition to the other objects of Fike's mission, as specifically 
detailed in his instructions, he conceived that his duty as a soldier 



596 ZEBULON M. PIKE. 

required of him an investigation of the views and conduct of the 
British traders, within the limits of our jurisdiction ; and an inquiry 
into the exact limits of the territories of the United Slates and Great 
Britain. This duty he performed, says the author of a former sketch 
of his biography, with the boldness of a soldier, and the politeness 
of a gentleman ; — he might have justly added, with the disinterested- 
ness of a man of honor, and the ability and discretion of an enlightened 
politician. He # found that the North West Company, by extending 
their establishments and commerce far within the bounds of the 
United States, and even into the very centre of Louisiana, were thus 
enabled to introduce their goods without duty or license into our 
territories, to the very great injury of the revenue, as well as to the 
complete exclusion of our own countrymen from all competition in 
this trade. He perceived, besides, that these establishments were 
made subservient to the purpose of obtaining an influence over the 
savages, dangerous to the peace, and injurious to the honor and 
character of our government, and he thought it evident that, in case 
of a rupture between the two powers, all these posts would be used 
as rallying points for the enemy, and as places of deposit for arms to 
be distributed to the Indians, to the infinite annoyance, if not total 
ruin, of all the adjoining territories. 

An opportunity was now presented to him of enriching himself for 
life, by merely using the power vested in him by law, and seizing 
upon the immense property of the company which he found illegally 
introduced within our territory. But, having been hospitably received 
at one of their principal posts, his high sense of honor would not 
permit him to requite their hospitality by a rigorous execution of the 
laws. It is probable, too, that he thought so violent a measure might 
lead to collisions between the two governments, without tending to 
produce any permanent beneficial effect ; and he cheerfully sacrificed 
all views of personal interest to what he conceived to be the true 
interest and honor of his country. By means of reprimands and 
threats to the inferior traders, and a frank and spirited remonstrance 
to the director of the Fond du Lac department, he succeeded in 
procuring a stipulation, that in future no attempt should be made to 
influence any Indian on political affairs, or on any subjects foreign 
to trade, and that measures should be immediately taken to prevent 
the display of the British flag, or any other mark of power within 
our dominion ; together with a promise that such representations 
should be immediately made to the company, and such an arrange- 
ment effected with regard to duties, as would hereafter set that 
question at rest. 

His conduct with regard to this subject was, at the time, viewed 



PIKES SECOND EXPEDITION. 



597 



with cold approbation, but the events of the subsequent war bore 
ample testimony to his sagacity and foresight. 

Within two months after his return from this expedition, Pike was 
selected by General Wilkinson for a second perilous journey of hard- 
ship and adventure. The principal purpose of this expedition was, like 
that of the former, to explore the interior of Louisiana territory. He 
was directed to embark at St. Louis, with the Osage captives, (about 
forty in number,) who had been rescued from their enemies, the 
Potowatomies, by the interference of our government, and to trans- 
port them to the principal village of their nation ; and he was 
instructed to take this opportunity to bring about interviews between 
the different savage nations, and to endeavor to assuage animosities, 
and establish a permanent peace among them. He was, after accom- 
plishing these objects, to continue his route into the interior, and to 
explore the Mississippi and its tributary streams, especially the 
Arkansas and Red rivers, and thus to acquire such geographical 
information as might enable government to enter into definitive 
arrangements for a boundary line between our newly acquired terri- 
tory and North Mexico. 

In the course of this second journey, our adventurous soldier, after 
leaving the Osage village, encountered hardships, in comparison of 
which the severities of his former journey seemed to him ease and 
luxury. 

Winter overtook the party unprovided with any clothing fit to 
protect them from cold and storms. Their horses died, and for 
weeks they were obliged to explore their way, on foot, through the 
wilderness, carrying packs of sixty or seventy pounds weight, beside 
their arms, exposed to the bitterest severity of the cold, relying 
solely on the produce of the chase for subsistence, and often, for two 
or three days, altogether without food. This part of his journal 
contains a narrative of a series of sufferings sufficient to make the 
" superfluous, and lust-dieted" son of luxury shudder at the bare 
recital. Several of the men had their feet frozen, and all, except 
Pike and one other, were in some degree injured by the intensity of 
the cold. He thus relates the history of two of these dreary days : 

" 1 8th January, Sunday. — The doctor and myself, who formerly 
were untouched by the frost, went out to hunt something to preserve 
existence; near evening we wounded a buffalo with three balls, but 
had the mortification to see him run off notwithstanding. We con- 
cluded it was useless to go home to add to the general gloom, and 
went amongst some rocks, where we encamped, and sat up all night ; 
from the intense cold it was impossible to sleep. Hungry and with- 
out cover. 



5 l JS ZEBULONM. PIKE. 

" 19th January, Monday. — We again took the field, and after 
crawling about one mile in the snow, got near enough to shoot eight 
times among a gang of buffaloes, and could plainly perceive two or 
three to be badly wounded, but by accident they took the wind of 
us, and, in our great mortification, all were able to run off. By this 
time I had become extremely weak and faint, it being the fourth day 
since we had received sustenance, all of which we were marching 
hard, and the last night had hardly closed our eyes to sleep. We 
were inclining our course to a point of woods, determined to remain 
absent and die by ourselves, rather than return to our camp and 
behold the misery of our poor lads, when we discovered a gang of 
buffaloes coming along at some distance. With great exertions, I 
made out to run and place myself behind some cedars, and by the 
greatest good luck the first shot stopped one, which we killed in three 
more shots, and by the dusk had cut each of us a heavy load, with 
which we determined immediately to proceed to the camp, in order 
to relieve the anxiety of our men, and carry the poor fellows some 
food. We arrived there about twelve o'clock, and when I threw 
my load down, it was with difficulty 1 prevented myself from falling ; 
I was attacked with a giddiness of the head, which lasted for some 
minutes. On the countenances of the men was not a frown, nor a 
desponding eye, but all seemed happy to hail their officer and com- 
panions, yet not a mouthful had they eat for four days. On demand- 
ing what were their thoughts, the sergeant replied, the most robust 
had determined to set out in search of us on the morrow, and not 
return unless they found us or had killed something to preserve the 
lives of their starving companions." 

In the course of this long, toilsome, and perilous march, Pike 
displayed a degree of personal heroism and hardihood, united with a 
prudence and sagacity which, had they been exerted on some wider 
theatre of action, would have done honor to the most renowned 
general. The reader may, perhaps, smile at this remark, as one of 
the wild exaggerations of a biographer, anxious to dignify the cha- 
racter of his hero ; but the truth is, that great men owe much of their 
splendor to fortuitous circumstances, and if Hannibal had made his 
famous march across the Alps at the head of a company of foot, 
instead of an army, his name, if it had reached us, would have come 
down to posterity with much less dignity than that of our hardy 
countryman. There are passages in Pike's journal of his second 
expedition, which had they been found, with proper alterations of 
place and circumstance, related by Plutarch, or Livy,of one of their 
heroes, would have been cited by every schoolboy as examples of 
military and heroic virtue. Take, for instance, the account of Pike'g 






PIKE S SECOND EXPEDITION. 



601 



firm and prudent conduct in repressing the first symptoms of discon- 
tent in his little band, and his address upon this occasion to the 
mutineer, and they will be found to need but little of the usual 
embellishments of an eloquent historian, to be made worthy of Han- 
nibal himself. 

" 24th January, Saturday. — We sallied out in the morning, and 
shortly after perceived our little band, marching through the snow, 
(about two and a half feet deep,) silent and with downcast counte- 
nances. We joined them, and learnt that they, finding the snow to 
fall so thickly that it was impossible to proceed, had encamped about 
one o'clock the preceding day. As I found all the buffaloes had quitted 
the plains, I determined to attempt the traverse of the mountain, in 
in which we persevered until the snow became so deep it was impos- 
sible to proceed, when I again turned my face to the plain, and for 
the first time in the voyage found myself discouraged, and, for the 
first time, I heard a man express himself in a seditious manner ; he 
exclaimed, ' that it was more than human nature could bear, to march 
three days without sustenance, through snows three feet deep, and 
carry burdens only fit for horses,' &c. &c. 

U^ S I knew very well the fidelity 
and attachment of the majority 
of the men, and even of this 
poor fellow, and that it was in 
my power to chastise him when 
I thought proper, I passed it by 
for the moment, determined to 
notice it at a more auspicious 
time. We dragged our weary 
and emaciated limbs alone: until 
about ten o'clock. The doctor and myself, who were in advance, 
discovered some buffaloes on the plain, when we left or loads and 
orders written on the snow, to proceed to the nearest woods to en- 
camp. We then went in pursuit of the buffaloes, which were on the 
move. 

" The doctor, who was then less reduced than myself, ran and got 
behind a hill, and shot one down, which stopped the remainder. We 
crawled up to the dead one, and shot from him as many as twelve 
or fourteen times among the gang, when they removed out of sight. 
We then proceeded to cut up the one we had shot, and after pro- 
curing each of us a load of the meat, we marched for the camp, the 
smoke of which was in view. We arrived at the camp to the great 
joy of our brave lads, who immediately feasted sumptuously. After 
our repast, I sent for the lad who had presumed to speak discon- 




602 ZEBULON M. PIKE. 

tentedly in the course of the day, and addressed him to the follow- 
ing effect : 'Brown, you this day presumed to make use of language 
which was seditious and mutinous ; I then passed it over, pitying 
your situation, and attributing it to your distress, rather than to your 
inclination to sow discontent amongst the party. Had I reserved 
provisions for ourselves, whilst you were starving ; had we been 
marching along light and at our ease, whilst you were weighed down 
with your burden, then you would have had some pretext for your 
observations ; but when we were equally hungry, w;eary, emaciated, 
and charged with burden, which I believe my natural strength is less 
able to bear than any man's in the party ; when we were always 
foremost in breaking the road, reconnoitering, and the fatigues of the 
chase, it was the height of ingratitude in you to let an expression 
escape which was indicative of discontent ; your ready compliance 
and firm perseverance I had reason to expect, as the leader of men 
and my companions in miseries and dangers. But your duty as a 
soldier demanded your obedience to your officer, and a prohibition 
of such language, which, for this time I will pardon, but assure you, 
should it ever be repeated, I will revenge your ingratitude and punish 
your disobedience by instant death. I take this opportunity, like- 
wise, to assure you, soldiers, of my thanks for the obedience, per- 
severance and ready contempt of every danger which you have 
generally evinced ; I assure you nothing shall be wanting on my 
part to procure you the rewards of our government and gratitude of 
your countrymen.' 

" They all appeared very much affected, and retired with assurances 
of perseverance in duty." 

Amidst these distresses, after a three months winter's march, they 
explored their way to what they supposed to be the Red river. 
Here they were met by a party of Spanish cavalry, by whom Pike 
w-as informed, to his great astonishment, that they were not on the 
Red river, but on the Rio del Norte, and in the Spanish territory. 
All opposition to this force would have been idle, and he reluctantly 
submitted to accompany the Spaniards to Santa Fe, to appear before 
the governor. Though, to his great mortification, his expedition was 
thus broken off, all hardship was now at an end. He was treated on 
the road with great respect and hospitality, though watched and 
guarded with great jealousy ; but he still insisted on wearing his 
sword, and that his men should retain their arms. Indeed, it was 
his resolution, had he or any of his people been ill used, to surprise 
the guard, carry off their horses, and make the best of their way to 
Apaches. 

When he arrived at Santa Fe, his whole dress was a blanket coat, 



PIKE S RAPID PROMOTION. 603 

blue trowsers, moccasons and a scarlet cloth cap lined with a fox skin ; 
his men were in leather coats, with leggins, &c, and had not a hat 
in the whole party. But he appeared before the governor with his 
usual spirit, and insisted on being treated with the respect due to an 
American officer. From Santa Fe he was sent to the capita] of the 
province of Biscay, to be examined by the commandant-general, 
where he was well received and entertained for some time ; after 
which he was sent on his way home, under the escort of a strong 
party of horse. He arrived with his little band at Natchitoches, on 
the 1st of July, 1807. 

The most vexatious circumstance, attending this unexpected sequel 
to the expedition, was the seizure of all his papers, except his private 
journal, by the Spanish government. He had been fitted out with 
a complete set of mathematical and astronomical instruments, and 
had made frequent and accurate observations. He had thus ascer- 
tained the geographical situation of the most important points with 
much precision, and had collected materials for an accurate map of 
a great part of the country which he traversed. The seizure of these 
papers is a real loss to the cause of science. It is, however, in per- 
fect conformity to that narrow and purblind policy, which the old 
Spanish government uniformly manifested in the administration of its 
colonies. 

Pike, upon his return, received the thanks of the government ; a 
committee of the house of representatives expressed their high sense 
of his " zeal, perseverance, and intelligence," and the administration, 
much to its honor, bestowed upon him a more solid testimony of 
approbation, by a rapid promotion in the army. He was immediately 
appointed captain, shortly after a major, and, upon the further enlarge- 
ment of the army, in 18 10, a colonel of infantry. 

URING the intervals of his military duties, 
he prepared for the press a narrative of his 
two expeditions, accompanied hy several 
valuable original maps and charts. This was 
published in 8vo., in 1810. The work is 
rather overloaded with unnecessary detail, 
and the language is careless and often inac- 
curate ; the last fault is, however, in a great 
measure to be attributed to several disadvan- 
tageous circumstances under which the work went to press, while 
the author was at a distance, engaged in public service. Still it is 
sufficiently evident that the volume is not the composition of a scholar. 
But it bears the strongest marks of an acute, active, busy mind, 
unaccustomed to scientific arrangement, or speculation, but filled 




604 ZEBULON M. PIKE. 

with a variety of knowledge, all of a useful, practical kind. Though 
entirely unacquainted with botany, zoology, and mineralogy, as 
sciences, Pike had a liberal curiosity, which taught him to look upon 
every object with the eye of a philosopher, and to despise no sort of 
knowledge, though he might not himself perceive its immediate 
utility. Above all, the narrative has that unstudied air of truth which 
is so apt to evaporate away in the processes of the book-making 
traveller. It retains all the clearness and freshness of first impres- 
sions, and we are never for a moment left in doubt, whether the 
writer and the traveller are the same person. 

Immediately after the declaration of war, Pike was stationed with 
his regiment upon the northern frontier, and, upon the commence- 
ment of the campaign of 1813, was appointed a brigadier-general. 

There was a tincture of enthusiasm in Pike's character which 
communicated itself to his whole conduct ; in whatsoever pursuit he 
engaged, he entered upon it with his whole soul. But the profes- 
sion of arms had been always his favorite study — his "life's employ- 
ment and his leisure's charm." Having served through every gradation 
of rank, almost from a private up to a general, and very often em- 
ployed in separate and independent commands, he was intimately 
acquainted with all the minutiae of discipline. The veteran of a 
peace establishment is too apt, from the want of greater objects, to 
narrow his mind down to the little details of a military life, until, at 
length, every trifle swells up into ideal importance, and the cut of 
a coat or the tying of a neckcloth seems big with the fate of nations. 
Pike was extremely attentive to all the particulars, even to the most 
minute points, of discipline and dress ; yet he gave them their due 
importance, and no more. He did not wish to degrade the soldier 
into a mere living machine ; and while he kept up the strictest dis- 
cipline, he labored to make his men feel that this severity arose not 
from caprice or ill-temper, but from principle, and that it had for its 
sole object their own glory, their ease, their health and safety. Care- 
less of popularity, and negligent of the arts by which good-will is 
often conciliated where there is no real esteem, he, by the unassum- 
ing simplicity and frankness of his manners, and the undeviating 
honor of his conduct, bound to himself the hearts of all around with 
the strong ties of respect and attention. 

Thus self-formed and thus situated, the eyes of the army were 
anxiously cast towards him as the chosen champion who was to 
redeem their reputation from that disgrace with which it had been 
stained by a long series of disasters. The day for which his heart 
had long panted at length arrived — a bright day of glory for the 
hero — of gloom and sorrow for his country. He was selected for the 



EXPEDITION AGAINST YORK. 605 

command of the land forces in an expedition against York, the capital 
of Upper Canada, and on the 25th of April sailed from Sackett's 
Harbor, in the squadron commanded by Commodore Chauncey. The 
day before the expedition sailed, he wrote a letter to his father, pro- 
phetic of his fate. 

"I embark to-morrow in the fleet at Sackett's Harbor, at the head 
of a column of one thousand five hundred choice troops, on a secret 
expedition. If success attends my steps, honor and glory await my 
name ; if defeat, still shall it be said that we died like brave men, 
and conferred honor, even in death, on the American name. 

" Should I be the happy mortal destined to turn the scale of war, 
will you not rejoice, O my father ? May heaven be propitious, and 
smile on the cause of my country ! But if we are destined to fall, 
may my fall be like Wolfe's — to sleep in the arms of victory." 

On the 27th of April, General Pike arrived at York, with about 
seventeen hundred chosen men, and immediately prepared to land. 
The spot which was selected for landing, was the site of an old 
French fort called Toronto, of which scarcely any vestiges now re- 
main. The plan of attack was formed by General Pike himself, and 
clearly and minutely detailed in his general orders, which were 
directed to be read at the head of every corps : every field-officer 
was also directed to carry a copy of them, in order that he might at 
any moment refer to them, and give explanations to his subordinates. 
Everything was arranged, and every probable exigency provided for, 
with admirable method and precision. 

There is one paragraph of these orders which is deeply stamped 
with that unity of character so visible throughout all his actions, and 
which is, in truth, one of the strongest marks of a powerful and origi- 
nal mind. 

"JJfo man will load until ordered, except the light troops in front, 
until within a short distance of the enemy, and then charge bayonets ; 
thus letting the enemy see that we can meet them with their own 
weapons. Any man firing or quitting his post without orders must 
be put to instant death, as an example may be necessary. Platoon 
officers will pay the greatest attention to the coolness and aim of their 
men in the fire ; their regularity and dressing in the charge. The 
field officers will watch over the conduct of the whole. Courage and 
bravery in the field do not more distinguish the soldier than humanity 
after victory ; and whatever examples the savage allies of our 
enemies may have given us, the general confidently hopes, that the 
blood of an unresisting or yielding enemy will never stain the weapons 
of the soldiers of his column. Property must be held sacred ; and 
any soldier who shall so far neglect the honor of his profession as to 



606 ZEBULON M. PIKE. 

be guilty of plundering the inhabitants, shall, if convicted, be punished 
with death. But the commanding general assures the troops, that 
should they capture a large quantity of public stores, he will use his 
best endeavors to procure them a reward from his government." 

As soon as the debarkation commenced, a body of British grena- 
diers was paraded on the shore, and the Glengary Fencibles, a local 
force which had been disciplined with great care, and had repeatedly 
proved itself fully equal to any regular force, appeared at another 
point. Large bodies of Indians were also seen in different directions, 
while others filled the woods which skirted the shore. General 
Sheaffe commanded in person. 

Forsyth's riflemen were the first to land, and they effected their 
purpose under a heavy fire of musquetry and rifles from the Indians 
and British. As soon as the fire from the shore commenced, Major 
Forsyth had ordered his men to rest for a few moments upon their 
oars, and return the fire. At this moment Pike was standing upon 
the deck of his ship. He saw the pause of his first division, and, 
impatient at the delay, exclaimed, " I can stay here no longer, come, 
jump into the boat ;" and, springing into it, followed by his staff, 
was immediately rowed into the thickest of the fire. 

The infantry had followed the riflemen, and formed in platoons as 
soon as they reached the shore. General Pike took the command 
of the first platoon which he reached, and ordered the whole to pre- 
pare for a charge. They mounted the bank, and the enemy, after a 
short conflict, broke at once, and fled in disorder towards the works. 

At that moment the sound of Forsyth's bugles was heard, announ- 
cing his success at another point. Its effect upon the Indians was 
almost electrical ; they gave a horrible yell, and fled in every direc- 
tion . 

The whole force being now landed and collected, was again formed 
and led on by General Pike, in person, to attack the enemy's works. 
— They advanced through the woods, and after carrying one bat- 
tery by assault, in the most gallant manner, moved on in columns 
towards the main works. The fire of the enemy was soon silenced 
by our artillery, and a flag of surrender was expected, when a terri- 
ble explosion suddenly took place from the British magazine, which 
had been previously prepared for this purpose. Pike, after aiding in 
removing a wounded man with his own hands, had sat down on the 
stump of a tree with a British sergeant, who had been taken, and was 
employed with Captain Nicholson and one of his aids in examining 
the prisoner. The explosion was tremendous ; an immense quantity 
of large stones were thrown in every direction with terrible force, 
and scattered destruction and confusion around among our troops 



DEATH OF GENERAL PIKE. 609 

The genera], his aid, Captain Nicholson, and the prisoner, fell 
together, all, excepting the aid, mortally wounded. General Pike 
was struck on the breast by a heavy stone. Shortly after he received 
the blow, he said to his wounded aid, " I am mortally wounded !— 
write to my friend Duane, and tell him what you know of the battle, 
and to comfort my wife." In the same broken manner, he afterwards 
added several other requests relating to his private affairs. 

The command devolved on Colonel Pearce, of the 1 6th regiment 
of infantry, who sent a flag to the enemy, demanding an immediate 
surrender at discretion. The stipulation that private property should 
be respected, was the only condition asked, and was unhesitatingly 
granted. The British general, and a part of his troops, had previously 
escaped. 

The troops were instantly formed again after the explosion, and, 
as a body of them passed by their wounded general, he said, " Push 
on, brave fellows, and avenge your general." While the surgeons 
were carrying him out of the field, a tumultuous huzza was heard 
from our troops ; Pike turned his head with an anxious look of 
inquiry ; he was told by a sergeant, " The British union jack is 
coming down, general — the stars are going up !" He heaved a heavy 
sigh, and smiled. He was then carried on board the commodore's 
ship, where he lingered for a few hours. Just before he breathed 
his last, the British standard was brought to him ; he made a sign 
to have it placed under his head, and expired without a groan ! 

His death was a great public misfortune. 




39 




Death, of General Covi gton. 



BRIGADIER GENERAL LEONARD COVINGTON. 



HIS gentleman was born in the state 
of Maryland, about the 26th of Octo- 
ber, 1768. His ancestry was highly 
respectable, and left to their posterity 
a valuable landed estate, which de- 
volved, at the decease of his father, 
on young Covington. His father's 
name was Levin, and the subject of 
this memoir was the elder of two 
sons. In his native state, he received 
an elegant English and mathematical 
and partial Latin education. His pur- 
suit in life after the death of his father, was designed by his mother 
to be husbandry, on his patrimonial estate. But his inclination led 
him to a far different pursuit — the science of ivar. Defensive warfare 
is both just and honourable; the study of the art is equally patriotic 
and useful, when pursued for noble purposes : but he who makes 
it. a profession through life, regardless of the welfare of his country, 
is the passive slave of tyranny. No such ignoble feelings animated 
Covington's breast. 

610 




DEATH OF GENERAL COVINGTON. 611 

He entered the army with a cornet's commission in the cavalry, 
shortly after the defeat of General St. Clair, by the Indians, in 1791, 
near the Miami villages. In the action with the savages near Fort 
Recovery, his bravery was put to the severest trial. His horse was 
shot under him. By his conduct and bravery in the severe action 
on the Miami, which followed, he won the admiration and esteem of 
his brethren in arms, and the. plaudits of his general. After General 
Wayne had reduced the savages to submission, Covington resigned 
his post in the army, and retired to his farm, occupying himself with 
useful pursuits of civic life. The high estimation in which he was 
held by his fellow citizens, is best tested by the various stations to 
which their suffrages elevated him. He was elected to a seat in the 
senate of Maryland ; afterwards to the house of representatives of 
the congress of the United States, and subsequently was appointed 
one of the electors of pi'esident and vice-president of the United 
States. Being firmly attached to republican principles, his votes and 
influence were not lost in the elevation of Mr. Jefferson to the pre- 
sidential chair. 

In the year 1809, when the injuries which Great Britain was 
heaping upon his country gave rise to the embargo law, he accepted 
a lieutenant-colonel's commission of the regiment of dragoons, then 
the only one in the United States army. In consequence of his 
station in Louisiana, he formed an attachment to that newly acquired 
section of the United States, and purchased a plantation on the banks of 
the Mississippi, not far from Natchez, to which he removed his family. 
In the increase of the army, after the commencement of hostilities 
between the United States and Great Britain, in 1812, he was pro- 
moted from a colonel of horse, to the rank of brigadier-general, and 
commanded at the Natchez when an invasion was expected in that 
section of the Union. When the storm had blown over, he repaired 
to the northern frontier where his services were more immediately 
wanted. With his brigade, he set out with General Wilkinson in his 
expedition against Montreal, in the autumn of 1813, the failure of 
which resulted from the conduct of General Hampton, who evaded 
the consequences by an early resignation. 

In the battle of Williamsburg, General Covington with bis brigade, 
was ordered in conjunction with General Swartwout, to outflank 
the British if possible, and capture his artillery. Covington, while 
•voluntarily leading a detachment of his brigade to a charge, was 
mortally wounded, and died in three days afterwards. He was buried 
with military honors at French Mills, at a place now called Mount 
Covington, regretted, beloved, and esteemed by the whole army. 




BRIGADIER GENERAL JAMES MILLER. 




ENERAL MILLER was born April 25th, 1776, at Peter- 
'j'-k u borough, Hillsborough county, N. H. He was destined by 
TKr~P his father for agricultural pursuits, but preferring intellectual 
J& labor he received a limited education at the district school, 
and afterwards entered Williams College, where he studied law. 
After commencing practice, he continued in this profession until the 
outrage upon the Chesapeake, when, through the solicitations of his 
friends, he was appointed by President Jefferson, [July 8, 1808,] 
as major in the fourth regiment of regular infantry. He remained 
in Boston until 1811, in which year he was promoted to lieutenant- 
colonel, and shortly afterwards went to Philadelphia, and thence to 
Pittsburg. He subsequently joined the army of Governor Harrison, 
and proceeded with it to the Tippecanoe ground. On the road he 
assisted in the construction of Fort Harrison, which was afterwards 
successfully defended against a large party of Indians, by Captain 

612 



BATTLE OF QUEENSTOWN HEIGHTS. t) 1 3 

Taylor. Severe sickness obliged him to remain at this place, during 
the subsequent movements of the army, so that he missed the battle 
of Tippecanoe. He ever afterwards enjoyed the friendship of the 
distinguished man, who commanded this famous expedition. 

When the main army of the Americans under General Hull 
marched toward Detroit, Lieutenant-Colonel Miller joined it at 
Urbana. He was soon afterwards sent from Detroit with six hun- 
dred men, and two field pieces to open a communication with the 
settlements on the Ohio. On the road he was attacked by several 
hundred British and Indians led by Tecnniseh, Walk-in-the-Water, 
and other chiefs. A severe conflict ensued in which the enemy were 
signally defeated and driven into the neighboring woods. On his 
return to the maio army, he conducted a detachment into Canada, 
and distinguished himself for his enterprise and gallantry. 

In the captureof Fort George, Colonel Miller performed an efficient 
part, and in company with Colonel Winfield Scott pursued the British 
until repeatedly recalled. At Queenstown Heights he accomplished 
the most glorious achievement of the battle, and one of the most 
glorious of the war — that of carrying the key of the enemy's position 
where most of their batteries were posted, at the point of the bayonet, 
and while everything was enveloped in the darkness of night. The 
British made the most daring charges in order to recover their guns, 
but they were each time driven back by the intrepid colonel. For 
his gallantry at Chippewa he was made a brigadier-general. In the 
celebrated siege of Fort Erie, he assisted in the sortie which, accord- 
ing to General Brown, destroyed by one hour's close fighting, more 
than a month's hope and labor of the enemy. 

Congress rewarded General Miller with a vote of thanks, and a 
gold medal, inscribed on it the words Chippewa, Niagara and Erie, 
with ' I'll try,' the. colonel's answer to General Brown, when asked if 
he could take the British batteries at Queenstown. 

After the war General Miller was appointed collector of the port 
at Salem, Mass., at which place he now resides. 




®KSBSi 





BREVET MAJOR GENERAL E. PENDLETON GAINES. 

ENERAL GAINES is one of the oldest officers in the 
army, having received the rank of ensign of the 10th 
infantry, January 10th, 1799. He was born March 20th, 
1777, in Culpepper county, Virginia, a place at that time 
frequently subjected to all the horrors of Indian warfare. 
Under the excellent instructions of his mother, he received an early 
knowledge of the principles of integrity and honor which have so 
remafkably distinguished him, in all his intercourse with the army 
and society. At the same time the constant watchfulness and activity 
required by the life of a settler, in a neighborhood infested by prowl- 
ing savages, gave him that hardiness of constitution, which was after- 
wards so nobly devoted to his country. 

From the time of his appointment to the regular army, until the 
war of 1812, he continued to study all the works on military affairs 
614 



APPOINTED BRIGADIER GENERAL. 617 

within his reach. In the meanwhile he was employed as a surveyor 
in the regiment of Colonel Butler, and performed his duties with 
much ability. In 1804, he was appointed military collector of the 
port of Mobile, a post of no little delicacy, on account, of the attitude 
of Spain towards the United States at that time. About two years 
afterwards, the movements of Colonel Burr had so alarmed govern- 
ment, that the president issued orders to military officers in the west 
to arrest him. This was done by Gaines, who had then become 
captain ; and for his promptness and activity he was appointed by 
President Jefferson, United States marshal. The details of the trial 
of Burr are too well known to be repeated. He was acquitted, and 
although Gaines had acted strictly in obedience to orders, yet he 
became an object of hatred to most of the colonel's numerous and 
powerful friends. 

At the opening of the war of 1812, General Gaines had risen by 
regular gradation to the rank of colonel. He was then intrusted 
with the duties of adjutant-general, and appointed to the north-west- 
ern army. Sickness prostrated him for awhile, but on his recovery 
he joined the northern troops, and accompanied Generals Brown and 
Macomb in their expedition down the St. Lawrence. This affair 
resulted in the battle of Chrystler's Fields, [Nov. 11, 1813,] when 
Colonel Gaines commanded the twenty-fifth regular regiment, and 
acted an efficient part. 

Gaines was now promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, and 
when Fort Erie was captured by Generals Ripley and Scott, he re- 
ceived command of that post. The importance of his office was 
soon to be proven. Determined to recapture the fort at all hazards, 
the British laid siege to it with a whole brigade, and commenced 
[August 5th, 1814] a vigorous cannonade. Soon after reinforce- 
ments arrived under General Drummond. 

On the night of the 14th, heavy volleys of shot and shell were 
poured into the fort, damaging some of the works, and exploding a 
magazine with fearful report. The object of this was soon apparent. 
The night was unusually dark ; and at two o'clock next morning 
more than two thousand picked troops moved in separate columns 
to assault the works. The right column, numbering one thousand 
three hundred men, were driven back with immense loss, numbers 
being drowned in a neighboring lake. They twice rallied, but were 
finally repulsed. The other column, after the most desperate fight- 
ing, during which they succeeded in partially entering the works, 
were defeated at all points, and drew off their shattered ranks with 
the loss of the leaders, Colonels Scott and Drummond. The unex- 
pected explosion of a magazine increased their confusion. The loss 



618 E. PENDLETON GAINES. 

of this column was five hundred and eighty-two, of whom two hun- 
dred and twenty-two were killed, and one hundred and eighty-two 
prisoners. In this assault the motto of the enemy was, " No quarter 
to the Yankees," and during their temporary occupation of part of 
the fort, they slaughtered all within reach, under circumstances of 
savage cruelty which would disgrace Indians. 

The total loss of the British in this affair, was about one thousand, 
that of the Americans seventeen killed, fifty-six wounded, and eleven 
captured. 

The siege and bombardment of the fort continued until September 
17th, when General Brown destroyed the enemy's works byehis bril- 
liant sortie. Previous to this, [August 28th,] General Gaines had 
been so severely wounded by the explosion of a shell, as to be com- 
pelled to retire to Buffalo. For his heroic defence, he was brevetted 
major-general, and received the thanks of Congress, together with a 
gold medal, commemorative of the defence. His native state, New 
York, and Tennessee also, each voted him a fine sword. 

At the close of the war, General Gaines was ordered to the south, 
and took part in the Seminole campaign of 18 17. This war was one 
of the utmost tediousness, affording however no opportunity for the 
display, or even exercise of military talents. The course pursued 
by General Jackson, the commanding officer, of marching into a 
neutral territory, and taking possession of its towns, laid him op*m 
to the censure of government ; but as Gaines acted as a subordinate 
no blame could be attached to him. Not long after, the latter offi- 
cer was assigned the command of the western department. 

In 1832, we find Gaines marching against Black Hawk, whose 
principal village he entered without opposition. When the Florida 
war broke out, (1835,) he was near New Orleans, and immediately 
commenced organizing a force sufficient for the suppression of all 
opposition. With this army, numbering twelve hundred men, he 
proceeded to Fort Brooke on Tampa Bay, where he arrived in Janu- 
ary, 1836. Not finding the enemy in the neighborhood, as he had 
expected, he pushed forward with all speed toward their country. 
While crossing the Ouithlacoochie, he was attacked by a large body 
of Indians, whom he drove back. The attack was renewed next 
day (February 28th,) with similar success. Being encumbered with 
wounded and baggage, the general determined to halt and erect a 
breastwork. This was assaulted on the 29th by a large body of 
Indians, who poured in a continual fire, and afterwards set on fire 
the long prairie grass around. A change of wind saved the fort, and 
the Indians were repulsed with heavy loss. General Gaines had 
thirty-two men killed and wounded, and he himself was shot in the 



FLORIDA WAR. 



621 




Black Hawk. 

lip. Skirmishes followed until the 5th of March, when Osceola the 
Indian leader, requested a parley. This was granted, and the chiefs 
seemed willing to lay aside hostilities ; but the appearance, during 
the conference, of General Clinch from Fort Drane, with reinforce- 
ments, induced the belief that the Americans wished to surround 
them, and accordingly they fled in confusion. 

Shortly after this transaction, General Gaines was informed that 
government had appointed General Scott to supersede him, in con- 
sequence of which he retired from Florida. 

During the period of suspense and fear which followed the invest- 
ing of General Taylor's positions by the Mexicans in 1846, General 
Gaines summoned a large volunteer force, for the relief of his brother 
officer. The battles of the 8th and 9th of May relieved Taylor from 
embarrassment, and gave occasion to government for criticising the 
course of General Gaines. He was deprived by the president of com- 
mand, and summoned to Fortress Monroe for trial by court martial. 
The veteran's defence was masterly, displaying an accurate know- 
ledge of the civil and military laws of the country, as well as o 
oratory and composition. The court decided that he had no authority 
for mustering the volunteers, other than the urgent necessity of the 
case ; but complimented his patriotism, and recommended that no 
further proceedings should be had in the case. General Gaines was 
then intrusted with the command of the eastern department, and has 
his head-quarters at New York. 




GOVERNOR ISAAC SHELBY. 



SAAC SHELBY was born December 1 1th, 1750, near 
Hagerstown, Maryland. His father was General Evan 
Shelby, a native of Wales, but who came with his 
father to America when but a boy, and settled in the 
abovementioned colony. The constant danger to which 
every emigrant was then exposed, from the incursions 
of the Indians, made his life one of continued activity 
and danger. Nature had fitted him for such scenes, 
and he soon became one of the most distinguished in resisting and 
avenging the outrages of the savages. Soon after a more formidable 
foe appeared, and the colonies became involved in the old French war. 
The horrors of that terrible period are familiar to all ; men were 
called from their peaceful cottages, not to face a regular foe in regu- 
lar battle, but to wander through wilds, and swamps, and forests in vain 

622 




dBs* 



ACTION WITH THE INDIANS. 623 

quest of a few straggling savages, who perhaps the evening before 
had fired the dwelling of their neighbor, and butchered the inmates. 
In such scenes as these Shelby won for himself a high reputation 
for coolness, bravery, and unremitting labor. Before the war ended, 
we find him a captain of rangers. He behaved himself handsomely 
in the expeditions against Fort du Quesne, and in the one under 
Forbes he was intrusted with the command of the advance. Through- 
out his subsequent career, and especially in the revolution, he con- 
tinued to serve his country in a manner creditable to himself, and 
beneficial to it. 

The education, then, of young Shelby, like that of most other 
heroes of the revolution, was derived from the scenes of activity and 
danger around him ; and although sent to school at a tender age, his 
attainments in learning do not seem to have advanced further than 
the rudiments of a plain English education. His habits and charac- 
ter were similar to those of his parent. Before he was twenty-one 
years old, we find him acting as deputy sheriff for Frederick county, 
an office which he seems to have filled with ability. When of age, 
he removed with his father to the Western Waters of Virginia, be- 
yond the Alleghany mountains, where he was principally engaged in 
tending cattle. 

Early in the year 1774, difficulties took place among the north- 
western Indians, in consequence of their ill-treatment by the whites. 
Several parties were murdered in cold blood by some colonists under 
Cresap and Greathouse; no age nor sex were spared. Among the 
slain were some relatives of the distinguished warrior, Logan, and he 
immediately determined on revenge. Through his influence the 
Delawares, Shawanese, Cayugas and other tribes, united in an 
attack upon a settlement on the Muskingum, where one man was 
killed and two were taken. On the reception of this news, the 
Virginia legislature ordered the raising of three thousand troops, 
part of whom were to act on the Great Kanhawa, and the other 
against the settlements more remote. The first, consisting of eleven 
hundred men, under General Lewis, marched to Point Pleasant, and 
encamped to wait the arrival of Governor Dunmore, who led the 
other division. On the 10th of October, intelligence reached the 
general that a large body of Indians was rapidly approaching, and 
soon after a reconnoitering party, which had been advanced by the 
commander, was driven back, with the loss of Colonel Lewis, 
brother of the general, and some others. Another regiment was 
now advanced, and the Indians took refuge in a log breast-work, 
from whence they poured a heavy fire upon the provincials. A 
savage combat ensued, which lasted till late in the afternoon, 



624 ISAAC SHELBY. 

during which General Lewis lost many men, including Colonels 
Field and Fleming. The Indians were commanded by Red Eagle, 
Logan, Cornstalk, and other chiefs, and fought with such determined 
bravery that the commander found it necessary to throw a detach- 
ment in their rear. The care of this body was intrusted to Captain 
Shelby, assisted by Captains Stewart and Matthews. He attacked the 
enemy with such vigor that they fled in dismay across the river, sup- 
posing that a reinforcement had arrived. The Americans lost fifty- 
five killed, and eighty-seven wounded ; the loss of the Indians was 
never ascertained. 

Both Isaac Shelby and his father were in this battle, and the for- 
mer acted as lieutenant in his parent's company. A fortification was 
subsequently erected on the ground, and the defence of it intrusted 
to young Shelby. This post he occupied about nine months when it 
was destroyed by order of the governor. 

HELBY, was a warm advocate of the rights of the 
colonists against the aggressions of the mother 
country. He thought much upon the subject, and 
although possessing little influence beyond the 
circle of his personal acquaintance, yet he exerted 
himself with them in a manner altogether praise- 
worthy. In 1777 he was appointed commissary of supplies 
for a large body of militia, which though an arduous task 
was performed with satisfaction to all. He was also intrusted 
with the defence of the back settlements, and with the 
provisions of a treaty soon to be concluded with the Cherokee Indi- 
ans. In the two following years he was chiefly occupied in obtaining 
supplies for different portions of the army, when he acted with his 
usual energy and sound judgment. 

In 1780, the distressed condition of the southern country, made 
the services of every true patriot doubly valuable. The success of 
Cornwallis and his officers, together with the dissatisfaction existing 
in that portion of the Union, caused many of the friends of Congress 
to despair of ultimate success. A few there were however, whom 
no misfortune could dampen, no danger intimidate. They maintained 
the conflict, amid swamps, forests and mountains, and though not 
obtaining any decisive victory, tended to harass the enemy and keep 
alive the spirit of opposition. 

In the summerof this year, Colonel Ferguson's riflemen had become 
very famous for their success against American scouting parties, and 
their general conduct in battle. They were considered the best 
marksmen of Cornwallis's army, and being used to success, con- 
sidered themselves as invincible. 




SKIRMISH AT CEDAR SPRING. 



625 




HIS officer v 

<* I" militia from 
tants, and we 
<— i in a short tim 



officer was detached to raise a royal 
among the disaffected inhabi- 
ts so active and successful that 
time he found himself at the head 
of about twenty-five hundred men. At the 
same time, his efforts incited corresponding 
exertion among the friends of Congress, and 
active partisans had collected a small force 
and united with each other, to act as circum- 
stances might warrant. Shelby was then in 
Virginia ; but receiving notice of these move- 
ments he exerted himself in raising a small 
force, with which he marched into the Caro- 
linas. He joined the camp of General McDowell, with the three 
hundred men, and soon after, in company with Lieutenant-Colonels 
Clarke and Sevier, he was sent to attack a British garrison on the 
Pacolet. The enemy were commanded by Captain Patrick Moore, 
and occupied a strong and well defended fort. Moore surrendered 
without firing a shot, and nearly a hundred royalists, with two hun- 
dred and fifty muskets, fell into the hands of the Americans. 

This affair gave renewed energy to the patriots of that quarter, 
and numbers of militia joined themselves to the different comman- 
ders. Colonels Clarke and Shelby hastened on toward Ferguson's 
force, to harass his movements and intercept supplies. Meanwhile 
Colonels Campbell of Virginia, Cleveland and McDowell of North 
Carolina, and Lacey, Hill, and Hawthorn, of South Carolina, were 
actively engaged, in the same enterprise. The. difficulties under- 
gone by these gallant officers and their men were appalling. " Some 
of them subsisted," says Ramsay, "for weeks together without tasting 
bread, or salt, or spirituous liquors, and slept in the woods without 
blankets. The running stream quenched their thirst ; at night the 
earth afforded them a bed, and the heavens, or at most, the limbs of 
trees were their only covering. Ears of corn or pumpkins thrown 
into the fire, with occasional supplies of beef or venison, killed and 
roasted in the woods, were the chief articles of their provisions. 

Some attempts of the British officer to attack Colonel Shelby at a 
disadvantage were unsuccessful. On the first of August however, 
his van engaged the American force at Cedar Spring, and a skirmish 
took place which lasted half an hour. The British main body then 
approached and Shelby and Clarke retreated, with about fifty prison- 
ers. A rapid pursuit commenced, but the enemy were baffled, and 
the two colonels with their prisoners, placed beyond danger. 

This affair gained the commendation of General McDowell, and 

40 



626 



ISAAC SHELBY. 




soon after Shelby, Clarke, and Williams, against a body of tories and 
mounted militia, stationed on the Enoree river. On the 19th of 
August, after riding all night they encountered a party of Ferguson's 
army with whom they exchanged shots, and a few were killed on 
both sides. The colonels were on the point of advancing, when a 
farmer arrived with the intelligence, that on the previous day, 
Ferguson had been reinforced by six hundred regulars. This 
news disconcerted the original plan, and it became equally 
dangerous to advance or retreat. 

APTAIN INMAN was sent with twenty-five 
men, to harass the enemy, and the remain- 
der determined to construct a fort of logs 
and brush, and await, the arrival of the Bri- 
tish. Inman soon became engaged, and by an artful 
retreat drew the whole force of the enemy in disorder 
after him, while fondly hoping that they had defeated 
the whole American force. The colonel led them to within one hun- 
dred yards of the log fort, when the next moment they received a 
heavy fire from the concealed garrison. A fierce battle then ensued, 
and the Americans were driven from their breastwork ; but at this 
critical moment, the British commander, Innes, their last surviving 
officer, was shot down, together with the leader of the tories, Cap- 
tain Hawsey, and the enemy broke in disorder. They were pursued 
across the Enoree. In this spirited action they lost one hundred and 
fifty wounded and captured, and sixty-three killed. The Americans 
had four killed including the lamented Captain Inman, and nine 
wounded. Among the latter were Colonel Clarke and Captain 
Clarke. 

As soon as Ferguson received notice of this defeat, he hurried 
on his whole force in hope of overtaking the victors, and recovering 
the prisoners. The party hurried to their horses, and were on the 
point of starting on another enterprise, when an express reached 
them with news of the total defeat of General Gates at Camden, 
and urging immediate retreat, as the British were maturing plans 
to cut off all the partisan corps. Their situation was now one of 
imminent danger. A vastly superior enemy was before and behind, 
men and horses were worn down by excessive labor and privation, 
and they were encumbered with prisoners. Their plan was soon 
formed; they resolved to retreat by the mountains, and in order to 
receive as little interruption as possible from the prisoners, they 
divided them equally among the parties, assigning one to every 
three men. They marched a night and two days without dismount- 
ing for a single moment, while the army of Ferguson were close in 



BATTLE OF KING S MOUNTAIN. 



627 



pursuit. The Americans however gained the mountains and were 
safe. The prisoners were secured, and Shelby pushed on to the 
Western Waters in Virginia. Battled of the fruits of his toilsome 
march, Ferguson established himself at Gilbert-town, and issued 
proclamations against the rebels of the surrounding district. He 
was soon to feel that the spirit of opposition, though smothered, was 
not extinguished. At the instigation of Shelby, himself, Sevier and 
Campbell, collected about one thousand men at Doe Run, among 
the Alleghanies, and determined to fall upon Ferguson at night. On 
the 26th of September they commenced their march, and were soon 
joined by Colonels Cleveland, Lacey, and Williams, with six hundred 
men, all burning to avenge late outrages of the tories. By the recom- 
mendation of Colonel Shelby, Colonel Campbell was appointed 
commander ; and immediately set out with nine hundred and ten 
horsemen. 

y _ NDOUBTEDLY for devotedness to 
X^ the object, and unflinching persever- 
1 ance, this pursuit had few equals 
during the war. A great part of the time 
rode through rain so excessive, as to com- 
le men to wrap their clothing around their 
locks, to prevent the spoiling of the powder ; 
although within convenient distance of 
;ral bodies of tories, they did not turn from 
"^"iH their course to attack them. On the 7th of 
October, 1780, they came up with Ferguson, strongly encamped on 
King's Mountain. He had taken up this position, preparatory to 
attacking Colonel Clarke, who was returning from an unsuccessful 
assault upon Augusta. The Americans formed themselves into three 
divisions ; the right was led by Sevier, and included the companies 
of McDowell and Winston ; the left by Cleveland, and the centre 
by Campbell and Shelby. When near the enemy, the whole force 
dismounted, and the right wing marched to the attack, while the 
remaining columns took a circuitous route in order to fall upon the 
enemy at different points. Cleveland's men opened a galling fire 
from behind trees, but were furiously charged with the bayonet, and 
compelled to give way. At this moment, Colonel Shelby opened his 
fire, also from among trees ; Ferguson met this new danger with 
unshaken fortitude, and the colonel was obliged to retire. Campbell 
had now gained the summit, and opened with deadly effect, but was 
also forced from his position. The whole American force then 
returned together and the battle raged with great fury for nearly an 
hour. Ferguson then received a ball and fell dead ; and soon after 




623 



ISAAC SHELBY. 



the enemy beat a parley. Terms were immediately adopted, and the 
whole force became prisoners of war. 

The loss of the British in this affair was three hundred killed and 
wounded, and one hundred regulars, and seven hundred royalists 
taken. The Americans lost about sixty. Colonel Williams of South 
Carolina, a most active and esteemed officer, was killed. Fifteen 
hundred muskets and a large quantity of stores fell into the hands 
of the victors. 

The news of this important event, filled the patriots of the south 
with exultation, and tended to atone in a small degree for the defeat 
of Gates. The legislature of North Carolina voted their thanks to 
the men and officers, together with a sword to each of the latter. 

A large share of the glory of this battle is justly due to Colonel 
Shelby, not only for his undaunted courage and general good con- 
duct while before Ferguson, but inasmuch as its plan originated with 
him. He is also said to have suggested the detaching of Morgan 
from the main army, which advice was followed by General Greene, 
and resulted in the battle of the Cowpens. 

'HEN Lord Cornwallis had been driven into 
Virginia by General Greene, the latter officer 
ordered Colonel Shelby to march from the 
Western Waters with five hundred riflemen, in 
order to join Marion, and assist in cutting off 
the anticipated retreat of his lordship through 
North Carolina. This was in the autumn of 
1781. Shelby joined the American general, 
but the fall of Yorktown soon after changed the proposed plan, and 
Marion was ordered to the south. At this time the British held a 
strong post near Monk's Corner, but where a number of Hessians 
were understood to be in a state of mutiny. In order to take advan- 
tage of this circumstance, Marion detached Colonel Mayhem with a 
strong body of dragoons, who were -ordered to push their operations 
with vigor, as the army of the enemy were within a few miles. 
Shelby was the second in command. On arriving before the enemy, 
the colonel ascertained that the disaffected soldiers had been sent to 
Charleston. The British regulars surrendered. This was the last 
active service performed by Colonel Shelby during the Revolution. 
He obtained leave to attend the North Carolina assembly, and the 
acknowledgment of our independence by Great Britain soon termi- 
nated the war. 

While a member of the assembly, he gave repeated proofs of legal 
and diplomatic ability, and was appointed on several important com- 
mittees. When the war closed, he married a daughter of Captain 




ELECTED FIRST GOVERNOR OF KENTUCKY. 



631 



Nathaniel Hart, and settled in Kentucky. He assisted at the con- 
vention which separated that territory from Virginia, and the one 
that formed a constitution ; and was elected the first governor of 
Kentucky. 

From this period until the war 
of 1812, Governor Shelby sel- 
dom appears on the stage of pub- 
lic events. At that time he was 
recalled from retirement by a 
second election to the office of 
chief magistrate of the state. 
This was, perhaps, the most try- 
ing period of his life ; the west- 
ern frontier for hundreds of 
miles, was bordered by tribes of 
hostile Indians, urged on to deeds 
of barbarism by Tecumseh and 
British emissaries, and safe from 
retaliation in impenetrable for- 
ests. It was the duty of the 
governor to defend this territory, 
to do which an army was to be 
Tecumseh. raised immediately from among 

men who had never been in battle, and had no knowledge of military 
operations. Notwithstanding these difficulties, the governor assidu- 
ously labored at his difficult task, and although still further embar- 
rassed by the surrender of General Hull, he succeeded in organizing 
an army of four thousand men, with which he marched in person 
into Canada. He fought under General Harrison at the Thames, 
where his conduct, notwithstanding his advanced age, elicited the 
greatest applause. " The venerable governor of Kentucky," says 
Harrison, in his official despatch, " at the age of sixty-six, pre- 
serves all the vigor of youth, the ardent zeal which distinguished 
him in the revolutionary war, and the undaunted bravery which he 
manifested at King's Mountain." And again, " In communicating 
to the President my opinion of the conduct of the officers who served 
under my command, I am at a loss how to mention that of Governor 
Shelby, being convinced that no eulogium of mine can reach his 
merits. The governor of an independent state, greatly my superior 
in years, in experience, and in military character, he placed himself 
under my command, and was not more remarkable for his zeal and 
activity, than for the promptitude and cheerfulness with which he 
obeyed my orders." In President Madison's annual message of 




632 



ISAAC SHELBY. 



December 7th, 1813, he says, "This result, [the victory of the 
Thames,] is signally honorable to Major-General Harrison, by whose 
military talents it was prepared, and to the spirit of the volunteer 
militia, equally brave and patriotic, who bore an interesting part in 
the scene ; more especially to the chief magistrate of Kentucky, at 
the head of them, whose heroism, signalized in the war which 
established the independence of his country, sought, at an advanced 
age, a share in hardships and battles for maintaining its rights and 
its safety." 

At the close of the war he retired to private life, and for about 
three years lived in domestic seclusion. He thought proper to decline 
the office of secretary of war, tendered to him at the accession of 
President Monroe, but was subsequently engaged with General Jack- 
son in negotiating the " Chickasaw treaty," by which the posses- 
sions of that tribe, west of the Tennessee, were ceded to the United 
States. 

Governor Shelby died on the 18th of July, 1826, at the age of 
seventy-six. His disease was apoplexy ; but he had been for some 
years afflicted by lameness, resulting from a paralytic attack. 





GENERAL WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. 




HE observation, that ingratitude is the sin of republics, 
does not apply to the United States. On the contrary, 
there is a disposition in our countrymen to reward 
with the highest honors those who have distinguished 
hemselves by hard service in their cause. In more 
than one instance they have sought out those who had won distinc- 
tion in defence of the state, in the glorious and heroic epochs of their 
history, for the purpose of conferring upon them high honors and 
rewards and this too, long after the period of danger had passed. 
When La Fayette visited our shores, nearly half a century after he 
had fought by the side of Washington, the gratitude of the republic 
was found to be still warm ; and twenty-seven years subsequent to 
his last brilliant military action, General Harrison was receiving, in 
the acclamations which summoned him to the first office in the nation, 
the assurance that his countrymen did not prove ungrateful. 

Benjamin Harrison, the father of William Henry Harrison, was 
one of the most distinguished patriots of the revolution. When John 
Hancock was elected president of Congress, and modestly hesitated 
to assume that important station, it was Benjamin Harrison who 
placed him with a gentle force in the presidential chair, exclaiming, 
" We will show mother Britain how little we care for her, by making 
a Massachusetts man our president, whom she has excluded from 
pardon by public proclamation." In fact, Harrison, acting in the 
spirit of those times of disinterested self-sacrifice, postponed his own 

633 






634 



WILLIAM II. HARRISON. 



pretensions in favor of Hancock. His name is enrolled for immor- 
tality among the signers of the declaration of independence. At a 
subsequent period, as governor of Virginia, he exerted all the ener- 
gies of his powerful mind in applying the resources of that great state 
to the promotion of the cause of the revolution. 

William Henry Harrison, third son of Benjamin Harrison, was born 
at Berkley, in Charles City county, Virginia, on the 9th of February, 
1773, and educated at Hampden Sidney College. His father died 
in 179 1 ; and having expended his fortune in the service of his coun- 
try during the revolution, he left his children little inheritance, save 
the example of his patriotism and love of liberty. Dependent on his 
own exertions for support, young Harrison devoted himself to the 
study of medicine ; but before, long, hostilities of the Indians in the 
north-west breaking out, he determined to relinquish his professional 
pursuits, and dedicate his life to the defence of his country. This 
inclination, resisted by his guardian, Robert Morris, was heartily 
approved by Washington, the intimate friend of his father, and then 
President of the United States. He fully appreciated the generous 
motives of Harrison, and gave him a commission as ensign of artil- 
lery in the troops destined to operate on the Ohio. 

The service in which Harrison now engaged was arduous and 
unpromising. The territory which had become the theatre of war, 
was filled with hostile savages, incited to every atrocity of barbarous 
warfare by their allies, the British, who, in utter contempt of the 
stipulations of the treaty concluded at the termination of the revo- 
lution, still held possession of numerous military posts within our 
territory, and afforded shelter, protection, and supplies, to the Indians 
who were devastating our defenceless frontier. Between 1783 and 
1789, it is estimated that fifteen hundred men, women, and children, 
were killed or taken prisoners by the Indians, on the waters of the 
Ohio, and an incalculable amount of property plundered or destroyed. 
The war which had now formally commenced had hitherto been most 
disastrous for the United States. General Harmar had been defeated 
and his army dispersed. General St. Clair, with a still larger force, 
suffered a no less calamitous defeat, by the confederate Indians under 
Little Turtle. The whole country was filled with consternation : and 
many who would have readily engaged to serve against a civilized 
enemy, shrunk from exposure to the rifle and tomahawk of the mer- 
ciless Indian. 

At this juncture, General Anthony Wayne, who had signalized 
himself by some of the most brilliant exploits performed during the 
revolutionary war, was selected by Washington to organize and com- 
mand a new army for the defence of the north-western frontier 



BATTLE OF THE MIAMI. 



635 




Battle of the Miami 



Severe exercises, toilsome marches, incessant watching, and hard 
fare on the way, and peril in the field, were the lot of the troops led 
by Wayne to retrieve the losses of his predecessors, and deliver the 
north-west from the horrors of savage warfare. 

In such a service, at the age of eighteen, did Harrison commence 
his brilliant career. On receiving his commission, he hastened to 
join his regiment at Fort Washington, (on the present site of Cin- 
cinnati,) where he arrived just after the defeat of St. Clair. 

In his first service, the command of an escort to Fort Hamilton, 
he displayed so much ability, as to elicit the warm commendation of 
St. Clair. 

In 1792, Harrison was promoted to the rank of lieutenant; and 
on joining the legion under General Wayne, was selected by him as 
an aid-de-camp. 

Wayne's army left Pittsburg late in 1792, proceeded to Legion- 
ville, thence to Fort Washington, and finally to Greenville, towards 
the Miami. Negotiations for peace had gone on meanwhile without 
results. 

On the 20th of August, 1794, the army of Wayne met the com- 
bined force of hostile Indians, and a considerable number of the 
volunteers and Detroit militia, on the banks of the Miami, in the 
vicinity of the British post at the foot of the rapids, and gained a 
brilliant and decisive victory. Harrison's conduct in this battle was 



636 WILLIAM H. HARRISON. 

noticed with approbation in the general's official despatch to the 
president ; and his bravery in rallying the troops to battle is remem- 
bered by the veterans who still survive that well-fought field. This 
battle terminated the war, and occasioned the surrender of the 
frontier posts in our territory so long held by Great Britain. Pre- 
viously to this, however, Harrison, who had been advanced to the 
rank of captain, was placed in command of Fort Washington, with 
discretionary powers, implying the confidence of his commander, 
and with various difficult duties arising out of the still disturbed 
condition of the country. While in this command, Captain Har- 
rison married the daughter of John Cleaves Symmes, the founder 
of the Miami settlements, a lady who was his estimable companion 
through life, and who still lives to witness the veneration in which 
his memory is held. 

On the death of General Wayne, in 1797, Harrison, perceiving 
that the exigencies of the war had passed, resigned his commission 
in the army, and was immediately appointed secretary of the North- 
western Territory. In this situation he had ample opportunities of 
becoming familiar with the characters, wants and wishes of his coun- 
trymen who were settled on the border. 

On the 2d December, 1799, Harrison took his seat in the Con- 
gress of the United States as the delegate of the North-Western 
Territory. The service which in this station he rendered to the 
whole western country, deserves to be remembered. It forms a 
part of the chain of evidence by which it is clearly proved that he 
was always a true republican, a firm friend of popular rights. The 
mode of selling the public lands at that time, interposed a moneyed 
speculator between the settler and the government ; since the small- 
est lots ever sold by the government, except in peculiar situations, 
consisted of four thousand acres. Harrison introduced and procured 
the passage of a law which provided that the public lands should be 
offered at public sale in half sections of three hundred and twenty 
acres ; that lands not bid off at public sales should remain for pri- 
vate entry at the minimum government price ; and that for the con- 
venience of settlers, land offices should be opened in the region of 
the sales. How far this act, which, after the ancient fashion of 
naming a law after its proposer, should be called the Harrison 
Law, has been instrumental in promoting the rapid growth of the 
western country, the western people well understand. They know 
that it was the corner-stone of their prosperity. Instead of render- 
ing the mass of the people the tenants of great proprietors, as the 
old system would have done, it has rendered almost every man a 
freeholder ; and the freeholders thus enfranchised by Harrison, were 



NEGOTIATES TREATIES WITH THE INDIANS. 637 

afterwards the patriot soldier who assisted him to defend the soil 
which he had thus enabled them to own. 

On the division of the North-Western Territory, by which the new 
territory of Indiana was created, the President of the United States, 
influenced by the high character of Harrison for ability and integrity, 
as well as by his well-earned popularity, appointed him its governor. 
He entered upon the arduous duties of this office in 1800. The 
new territory embraced the whole region since divided into Indiana, 
Illinois and Wisconsin ; and Louisiana and Michigan were at one 
time appended to it. As there was no legislature, all the functions 
of government were of course devolved on the executive ; and well 
did Harrison acquit himself in this immeasurably important and 
difficult station. The country was but thinly settled, and the In- 
dians, naturally disposed to be restless and jealous, were kept in a 
state of perpetual irritation by the agents of the British government, 
who supplied them with afms and ammunition as well as ardent 
spirits, and were constantly inciting them to murder and plunder in 
the territory of the United States. Against such a system the pacific 
attempts of our government to civilize and christianize the savages 
could avail but little. With the country in such a state, the office 
of governor was one which required consummate prudence, ability 
and decision of character ; but as if its duties were not sufficient to 
call forth the utmost energies of Harrison, Mr. Jefferson, in 1803, 
appointed him also general and sole commissioner to treat with the 
Indian tribes of the north-west on the subject of their lands and 
boundaries. 

In this latter capacity he concluded thirteen important treaties 
with the different tribes, and obtained cessions on the most advan- 
tageous terms, of not less than sixty millions of acres of lands, 
embracing a large portion of the richest lands in the north-west. By 
one of these treaties he obtained for the United States fifty-one 
million acre's of land at once — the largest tract ever ceded to our 
government in a single treaty. 

By concluding these treaties, he also for a long time successfully 
resisted the machinations of the British agents to embroil our people 
with the savages ; and taught the latter to respect his firmness, 
moderation and integrity. 

The pacific policy of our government towards the Indians, main- 
tained at a period when the British agents were constantly stimulating 
the Indians to make aggressions on the people of the north-west, 
rendered the situation of Governor Harrison a most difficult and 
trying one. 

The approach of a war between Great Britain and the United 



638 



WILLIAM H. HARRISON. 




States was easily foreseen by 
the more, intelligent Indians, 
in the increased earnestness 
and boldness with which the 
British agents urged them to 
open hostilities. Two of them 
required no urging. They were 
the celebrated Tecumseh and 
his twin brother, the Prophet. 
These Shawanese chiefs had 
been engaged, since 1806, in 
forming a combination of all 
the western tribes, for the de- 
struction of the western set- 
tlements. Tecumseh was an 
extraordinary man. To great 
energy, sagacity, and boldness 
of character, he added the ac- 
The Prophet- complishments of a first rate 

warrior, negotiator and orator. His brother, Ol-li-wa-chi-ca, called 
the Prophet, though far his inferior in courage and ability, was able 
to render the most efficient aid to Tecumseh's designs, in his charac- 
ter of medicine man, which being supposed by the Indians to confer 
supernatural powers and inspired authority, gave him unbounded 
influence over their uninformed and superstitious minds. The turbu- 
lent and daring outcasts from various tribes, repaired in multitudes to 
the rendezvous which they had established on the Wabash, near the 
mouth of the Tippecanoe, which was called the Prophet's Town. 
Here their warlike designs were concocted and matured ; and hence 
Tecumseh went forth on his periodical missions to the various tribes 
to gain their co-operation in the intended attack on our whole north- 
western frontier. Among the pretexts for war which he urged, was 
the doctrine that all the lands in North America were the common 
property of all the tribes, and that no sale of any part could be valid 
without the consent of all — an ingenious sophistry, but evidently of 
British rather than Indian origin. At any rate, it afforded Tecumseh 
a pretext for interfering with every Indian treaty, and defeating all 
the efforts of General Harrison to maintain the peace of the frontiers. 
When the treaty of Fort Wayne took place, Tecumseh was absent, 
and on his return he threatened with death some of the chiefs who 
had signed it. Hereupon, Governor Harrison dispatched a message 
to inquire the cause of his dissatisfaction with the treaty, and inviting 
him to come to Vincennes and exhibit his pretensions ; assuring him 



COUNCIL OF VINCENNES. 



639 




Council of Yincennes 



that if they were valid, the land acquired by the treaty should be 
given up or ample compensation made for it. 

Tecumseh accepted the invitation, but treacherously brought with 
him four hundred armed warriors, instead of thirty, as directed. At 
the council he claimed for all the Indians of the country, a common 
right to all the lands in it ; denied the right of any tribe to sell any 
portion of it without the consent of all, and pronounced the treaty 
of Fort Wayne null and void. Harrison replied, that when the whites 
came to this continent, they found the Miamis in occupation of all 
the country of the Wabash, at which time the Shawanese dwelt in 
Georgia, from whence they were driven by the Creeks ; that the 
Miamis had consulted their own interest, as they had a right to do, 
in selling their own lands on terms satisfactory to themselves ; and 
that the Shawanese had no right to come from a distant country, 
and undertake to control the Miamis in the disposition of their own 
property. Scarcely were these words interpreted, when Tecumseh 
fiercely exclaimed, " It is false !" and giving a signal to his warriors, 
they sprang to their feet and raised their weapons, while Tecumseh 
continued to address the Indians in a loud voice and with violent 
gestures. At this critical moment the courage and decision of Har- 
rison prevented a scene of bloodshed and horror. He rose immedi- 
ately and drew his sword ; but, restraining his guards, he calmly, but 
authoritatively, told Tecumseh, that " he was a bad man, that he 



640 WILLIAM H. HARRISON. 

would have no further talk with him ; and that he must return to his 
camp and take his departure from the settlements immediately ;" and 
with that the council was dissolved ; and Tecumseh and his warriors, 
awed by the courage and decision of Harrison, withdrew in silence. 

The next morning, Tecumseh, perceiving that he had to deal with 
a man as vigilant and bold as himself, apologized for the affront which 
he had offered, and requested another conference. In the second 
council he behaved with greater moderation, and told the governor 
that white men (British agents, undoubtedly,) had advised him to do 
as he had done, and that he was determined to maintain the old 
boundary. This the governor said he would report to the president : 
and the council ended. Governor Harrison then went to Tecumseh's 
camp, attended only by an interpreter. He was courteously received : 
but the chief would not recede from his demands ; and as he was 
not yet ready to commence hostilities, the matter rested here for a 
while. 

As war between Great Britain and the United States became more 
probable, the boldness of the Indians increased. Marauding expedi- 
tions and murders on the frontiers became more and more frequent, 
till Governor Harrison was directed to move with an armed force 
towards Tippecanoe, the centre and head-quarters of all their in- 
trigues, where a thousand hostile Indians were assembled whom he 
was directed to disperse. His force was about nine hundred men, 
militia and volunteers of Indiana and Kentucky, and United States 
troops, whom he had carefully drilled and trained for the peculiar 
kind of service which such a war required. He marched from Fort 
Harrison, on the Wabash, October 20, 1811. As he was ordered 
to act only on the defensive, the Indians were left to choose their 
own time for the attack. In conformity w r ith the uniform policy of 
our government, he was required to attempt conciliation, and at the 
same time to be ready for resistance to any hostile movement on the 
part of the Indians. To prevent surprise, he laid out a wagon road 
on one bank of the Wabash, which led the Indians to expect he 
would pass on that side ; and then suddenly changing his route, 
crossed to the other bank, and thus marched to the Prophet's Town 
without interruption. He arrived on the 6th of November. His 
offers of peace were rejected with insult. Urged by his officers to 
attack the town, his deference to the orders he had received to act 
only on the defensive, induced him to persevere in his pacific course 
so long as any possibility remained of the Indians complying with 
the demands of government. At length the prophet sent three In- 
dians to propose a suspension of hostilities, and a meeting the next 
day to agree upon the terms of peace. But Harrison knew the 



BATTLE OF TIPPECA.NOE. 



641 




Battle of Tippecanoe. 

treacherous character of his enemy, and was not thrown off his 
guard. The best spot in the neighborhood for resisting a night 
attack was chosen for an encampment ; the men lay upon their arms 
all night ; and every precaution was taken to guard against surprise. 
Just before dawn, on the morning of the 7th, while the governor was 
conversing with his aids, awaiting the signal for the troops to turn 
out, one of the sentinels gave the alarm by firing his piece, which 
was immediately followed by the war-whoop, and a desperate charge 
on the left flank. 

At that point, the guard giving way, the charge of the savages was 
received by the united regulars and volunteers under Captains Bar- 
ton and Guiger, in the rear, who rose ready armed, formed in their 
appointed posts, and gallantly stood their ground. Upon the first 
alarm, the governor mounted his horse and proceeded to the point 
of attack, and finding the line weakened there, ordered up two com- 
panies from the rear centre to reinforce it. — Meanwhile, the camp 
fires had been extinguished so as not to afford light to the Indians. 
As the governor rode across the camp, Major Joseph II. Davies, of 
Kentucky, one of the most popular men in the west, asked permis- 
sion to charge a body of Indians, concealed behind some trees near 
the left of the front line. In attempting this brave exploit he fell, as 
did also Colonel Isaac White, of Indiana, who served as a volunteer 
under him. After which, the charge was repeated and the Indians 
dislodged from their cover by Captain Snelling. Perceiving the 

41 



642 



WILLIAM H. HARRISON. 




Harrison pardoning the Negro. 



attack now to be severely felt on the right flank, the governor led 
up another company to reinforce it, while doing which, his aid, 
Colonel Owen of Kentucky, fell by his side. By this time, the battle 
had become general, and was nobly maintained on all sides until the 
day dawned, when the right and left flanks having been strengthened, 
a simultaneous charge was made against the Indians on each side, 
who were thus put to flight with great loss, and a glorious victory 
crowned the toils and dangers of the American troops. 

During the action, the Prophet remained secure on a near emi- 
nence, chanting a war song, and animating his followers with the 
assurance of miraculous aid from the Great Spirit in their favor, so 
as to insure to them a victory. Tecumseh himself w-as not present, 
being at the south, endeavoring to combine the tribes of that quarter 
against the United States. But, animated by the Prophet, the Indians 
fought with desperate and unprecedented valor, band to hand, so as 
to render the battle of Tippecanoe one of the most memorable and 
decisive engagements ever fought between the Indians and the whites. 
The Indians attacked boldly, advancing and retreating by a rattling 
sound, made with deer hoofs. They were encountered with cor- 
responding valor and resolution by Harrison's brave and spirited men. 
The. governor himself was unwearied in his exertions, personally 
inspecting and co-operating in all the operations of the engagement, 
ordering every important movement, repeatedly leading the troops 



HIS SERVICES IN THE WAR WITH ENGLAND. 643 

into action as any change of their position became requisite, and 
sharing all the perils of the battle not only equally with the rest, 
but more, because his person was more conspicuous on horseback, 
known to every Indian. 

Exposure in the field was not the only danger incurred by the 
governor. The Indians had intended to assassinate him. Two 
Winnebagoes first undertook the enterprise, but subsequently a negro 
was sent into the camp for the purpose. He was detected in the 
attempt, whilst waiting near the governor's markee, and afterwards 
trit . convicted, and sentenced to be shot. But moved by compas- 
sion, the governor pardoned the wretched assassin, and ordered him 
to be discharged. Harrison's magnanimity on this occasion, was 
equal to his courage and decision in the field. 

The victory of Tippecanoe decided the fate of the war. Its im- 
portance in delivering the north-west from the horrors of savage 
massacre and conflagration was fully appreciated at the time, as is 
sufficiently evinced by the decisive testimony then borne to the 
merits of the victorious general and his patriotic troops, and the 
grateful recognition of their services in the highest quarter. Mr. 
Madison, then president of the United States, the legislature of In- 
diana, and the legislature of Kentucky, all gave public testimonials 
of approbation, in which the exalted character and ability of Gover- 
nor Harrison were most cordially recognized. 

The narrow limits of this notice render it impossible to recount in 
detail the important services rendered by General Harrison, during 
the late war with Great Britain. We can only bring into view the 
more prominent points in the history of that eventful period. War 
was declared on the 18th of June, 1812. No sooner was this event 
known than all eyes were turned towards Harrison, as the most suit- 
able officer, to lead the American forces as commander-in-chief of 
that military district : and it was in obedience no less to the dictates 
of wisdom and sound policy than to the acclamations of public senti- 
ment in the west, that Governor Scott, of Kentucky, gave him a 
brevet commission of major-general in the militia of Kentucky, and 
authorized him to take command of the detachment for Detroit. In 
the midst of preparations which this honorable trust imposed, intel- 
ligence was received of the fall of that place through the misconduct of 
Hull. To increase the dismay spread through the country by this 
intelligence, the people of the north-west soon after learnt that the 
government had appointed another than their favorite general to take 
the command. Though General Harrison received the appointment 
of brigadier-general in the army of the United States, he declined to 
accept it, until apprised whether his acceptance should make him 



644 WILLIAM H. HARRISON. 

subordinate to General Winchester. In this he did but consult the 
wishes of those around him, who were only induced to march under 
Winchester by the hope that Harrison would ultimately receive the 
chief command. Still, learning that Fort Wayne was invested by a 
large body of Indians, he hastened to relieve it. He reached the fort 
on the 12th of September, but found the besieging army had aban- 
doned its position and fled at his approach. After this he resumed 
his duties as governor of Indiana. 

When the president learned the actual state of affairs, that Harri- 
son was the choice of the whole western people, and that he had 
already been engaged in extensive operations for the defence of the 
frontier, he appointed him to the chief command in the north-west. 
The task thus assigned to him was by far the most difficult which 
was undertaken by any general during the war. This will be easily 
understood by any one who will take the trouble to glance at the 
maj), and observe the extent of frontier exposed to the attacks of the 
British and their savage allies, by the fall of Detroit ; remembering 
at the same time that the forces necessary for its defence were to 
be raised and organized chiefly in Kentucky and Ohio, at a great 
distance from the principal scene of action, and marched across a 
wilderness of forests and marshes to the points of attack ; and that 
the only impression to be made on the enemy was by carrying the 
war ultimately into Canada, which Harrison, having accomplished 
the defensive part of his operations, was finally enabled to do with 
the most brilliant success. The powers conferred upon him were 
ample, and the objects prescribed by the department of war were 
the internal defence of the country, the recapture of Detroit, and 
the invasion of Canada. His forces were undisciplined recruits and 
militia volunteers, full of ardor and patriotism, but destitute of the 
habits or experience of the soldier, and to be held in obedience rather 
by personal influence than the force of authority. With these he 
was to act against the experienced officers and well-disciplined troops 
of Britain, aided by innumerable hordes of savages. The consum- 
mate address displayed by General Harrison in retaining the obedi- 
ence and attachment of his soldiers is well illustrated by an incident 
which occurred on his arrival in Winchester's camp, at Fort Defiance. 
Soon after ho had retired to rest, he was awakened by Colonel Allen 
and Major Hardin, to be informed that Allen's regiment was in open 
mutiny, determined to bandon the expedition and return home ; and 
that all their own attempts to bring their men back to their duty 
were utterly in vain. General Harrison ordered the alarm to beat 
the ensuing morning instead of a reveille. This brought all the men 
to arms, and when paraded at their posts they saw, with surprise, 



I 1 



SIEGE OF FORT MEIGS. 645 

General Harrison appear amongtbem. He began his address to them 
by lamenting the discontents which existed among men he so highly 
esteemed ; hut it was because of its dishonor to them ; for govern- 
ment could dispense with their services; and all those who were 
disheartened that they did not find in the woods the luxuries and 
comforts of home, had full liberty to return. But what would he 
their reception from the old and young, who had greeted them on 
their march to the scene of war, as their country's gallant defenders? 
To be seen returning before the expiration of their term of service, 
without having struck a blow ! If their fathers did not drive their 
degenerate sons back to recover their tarnished honor on the field of 
battle, would not their mothers and sisters hiss them from their pre- 
sence ? But, if they were prepared thus to encounter the scorn and 
contempt of their friends at home, they could go, and the govern- 
ment would look elsewhere for braver and better men to defend the 
country in its hour of need. This appeal was irresistible; the gene- 
rous men of Kentucky returned by acclamation to their duty; and 
no more faithful troops than they served in the whole war. 

We must refer our readers to the history of the late war for an 
account of the disastrous defeat of General Winchester at the river 
Raisin, which was followed by the cold-blooded massacre of the 
American prisoners by the Indians, at the command of the infamous 
General Proctor, an event which had a most prejudicial effect on the 
whole operations of the campaign. Winchester's movement had 
been not only without the knowledge or consent of Harrison, but 
contrary to his plan of operation ; but when apprised of his course 
he made all possible exertions to protect Winchester from the appre- 
hended consequences of his own ill-advised acts. On learning his 
disaster, the army which had advanced to support him, after receiving 
a reinforcement under General Leftwich, resumed the position at the 
rapids on the east bank <jf the Miami, where a strong fortification 
was erected as the winter quarters of the army, which was called 
Camp Meigs, in honor of the governor of Ohio. This position being 
attacked by the British, became the scene of a brilliant triumph to 
the arms of the United States. Harrison commanded the defence 
in person. The enemy made his appearance on ihe 26th of April, 
1813, consisting of a numerous force of British and Indians, com- 
manded by General Proctor. Three powerful batteries were soon 
constructed directly opposite the American camp. Meanwhile, our 
troops had thrown up a breastwork of earth, twelve feet in height, 
traversing the camp in rear of the tents, so that when the batteries 
of the enemy w : ere completed and mounted, and his fire opened, the 
tents of the Americans beina: removed to the rear of the traverse, 



646 




Siege of Fort "Meigs, 



were completely protected. A severe fire was kept up on both sides 
until the 4th of May, when news was brought of the approach of a 
reinforcement of Kentucky militia, under General Clay. General 
Harrison instantly determined, by making a sortie at the moment of 
his arrival, to compel the enemy to raise the. siege. In obedience to 
his orders, General Clay detached eight hundred of his men to land 
on the west side of the Miami, to attack the British batteries situated 
there, and fought his way safely into the camp. A part of the garri- 
son under Colonel Miller, made a sortie from the camp, gallantly 
assaulted and carried the battery on the eastern bank, made a num- 
ber of prisoners, and drove the British and Indians from their lines. 
Meanwhile, Dudley had landed his troops, and charged and carried 
the two other batteries, without the loss of a man. Unfortunately, 
his troops being too secure after this success were drawn into 
an ambuscade. The result was the destruction of the detachment, 
three-fourths of whom were made captives or slain. The British 
again covered themselves with infamy by giving up their prisoners 
to be massacred by the savages. The shooting and tomahawking 
of these unfortunate men went on before the eyes of Proctor and 
the whole British army, until Tecumseh suddenly arriving, exclaimed, 
" For shame ! it is a disgrace to kill defenceless prisoners !" A savage 
taught a British general a lesson of humanity \ 

This unfortunate incident did not prevent the success of General 



OPERATIONS ON LAKE ERIE. 



647 




Building of the Fleet on Lake Erie. 

Harrison's well-timed attack. Resolved to raise the siege, Proctor 
first dispatched a flag of truce, requiring a surrender of the fort and 
army, as the only means of saving the latter from the tomahawks 
and scalping knives of the savages. This insult Harrison cautioned 
Proctor not to repeat. He disdained to reply to it ; and the British 
commander hastily broke up his camp, and retreated in disgrace and 
confusion towards Maiden. A second attack which he made on Fort 
Meigs in May following, with a large force of British and Indians, 
was attended with a like result. Foiled in this attempt, he landed a 
part of his force at Lower Sandusky, in order to reduce a small out- 
post, called Fort Stephenson. The gallantry of Major Croghan 
inflicted another severe disgrace upon the British arms in this affair, 
which has been made the occasion of censure on General Harrison, 
because he had previously ordered the post to be evacuated. But 
the testimony of Croghan himself, to the penetration and able gene- 
ralship evinced by Harrison's order, has long since settled that point. 
General Harrison had been the first to recommend to the govern- 
ment the creation of a naval force on Lake Erie sufficient to cope 
with the British, and open the way into Canada by the lakes. He 
was now to reap the fruits resulting from the adoption of that judi- 
cious advice. Perry's victory was gained on the 10th of September, 
1813. On the. 27th, Harrison with his whole army, had landed on 
the Canada shore. The army landed in high spirits ; but the enemy 
had abandoned his strong hold, and retreated to Sandwich, — after 
dismantling Maiden, burning the barracks and navy yard, and strip- 
ping the adjacent country of horses and cattle. General Harrison 
encamped that night on the ruins of Maiden. 



648 



WILLIAM H. HARRISON. 




: i tie ■- 1 lac Thames. 



The pursuit of the enemy was resumed next day, and on the 5th 
of October he was overtaken at a place ever memorable as the battle 
ground of one of the most honorable and decisive actions fought 
during the war. It was a well chosen spot near the river Thames. 
But Proctor had committed the error of forming his men in open 
order. Harrison therefore ordered Colonel Johnson, with his mounted 
regiment, to charge them in column, which was done with brilliant 
success ; and nearly the whole of the British regular force were 
killed, wounded, or captured. On the left the Indians rushed on the 
mounted men, and fought bravely until Tecumseh fell, as is supposed 
by the hand of Colonel Johnson. Proctor, a coward and a barbarian, 
deserted his troops, and fled with a part of his suite,, leaving his 
baggage, military stores, and official papers, to the victor. Three 
pieces of brass cannon which had been captured from the British, 
during our Revolutionary struggle, at Saratoga and Yorktown, and 
afterwards surrendered by Hull at Detroit, were recaptured in this 
battle. Governor Shelby commanded the Kentucky troops, and 
Colonel (General) Cass, and Commodore Perry acted as volunteer 
aids to General Harrison. 

Thus Harrison had gloriously accomplished, by his own abilities 
and the co-operation of the gallant people of the west, all that he 
undertook in assuming the command of the American forces in the 
north-west. The news of this great victory spread joy throughout 



RESIGNATION OF HARRISON. 651 

the country. Mr. Madison, in his letter to Congress, spoke of the 
result as " signally honorable to Major-General Harrison, by whose 
military talents it was prepared." " The victory," said Mr. Cheves, 
in Congress, "was such as would have secured to a Roman general, 
in the best days of the republic, the honors of a triumph. Congress 
in 1818 authorized the president to cause two gold medals to be 
struck, emblematical of the victory, and presented to General Harri- 
son, and Governor Shelby. 

Having entirely defeated the enemy in Upper Canada, Harrison 
advanced with a part of his army to Sackett's Harbor, where he left 
the troops, and proceeded to the seat of government, and then to 
Ohio, where his immediate duties required his presence. 

In the subsequent campaign the secretary of war thought fit to 
take such a course as required General Harrison to resign his com- 
mand. The secretary thus deprived the country of the services of 
him, " who," in the words of Colonel Johnson, " during the late war, 
was longer in active service than any other general officer, was 
perhaps oftener in action than any of them, and never sustained 
a defeat." 

Mr. Madison still continued to distinguish General Harrison by 
marks of his confidence. He appointed him commissioner to nego- 
tiate important treaties with various tribes of Indians, in 1814, and 
again in 1815. He was subsequently a representative, and after 
that a senator in Congress, from Ohio ; and a minister plenipoten- 
tiary to Colombia. While in this situation he wrote the celebrated 
and ever-memorable letter to Bolivar, advising him to desist from the 
despotic designs which he entertained at that period. For any other 
individual this letter alone would constitute a sufficient claim to 
immortality. But it is now regarded as only one among many evi- 
dences of Harrison's abilities as a statesman, and his exalted senti- 
ments as a republican. 

On his return from Colombia, General Harrison retired to his farm 
at North Bend, on the Ohio river, a few miles below Cincinnati. 
Never having sought personal aggrandizement, nor availed himself 
of his numerous public situations to acquire a fortune, he was at this 
time poor, and accordingly accepted the office of clerk to the Ham- 
ilton county court, which he occupied until the time of his election 
as chief magistrate of the United States. 

At the close of Jackson's administration, in 1835, General Har- 
rison was the whig candidate to succeed him. He was defeated by 
a small majority. In 1840 he was again the candidate, and received 
the presidency by an overwhelming vote. 

The venerable chief left North Bend in February, 1841, and pro- 



652 



WILLIAM H. HARRISON. 



ceeded toward the capital. His progress was marked with the utmost 
enthusiasm ; and the ceremonies of initiation and delivering of the 
inaugural address were conducted on a scale of magnificence and 
popular joyfulness never exceeded. 

On the 17th of March the new president issued his proclamation, 
calling an extra session of Congress, to convene on the 3 1st of 
May, and take into consideration the state of the country. 

On Saturday, (March 27th,) after several days' previous indispo- 
sition, the president was seized with a chill, and other symptoms of 
fever. These were followed by bilious pleurisy, which ultimately 
baffled all medical skill, and ended his useful and virtuous life on 
Sunday morning, April 4th. His last words were, " Sir, I wish you 
to understand the principles of the government. I wish them carried 
out. I ask nothing more." His funeral took place on the 7th, and 
was two miles in length. 

In person General Harrison was tall and slender, and from the 
effects of habitual activity and temperance, enjoyed much bodily 
vigor. He had a fine dark eye, remarkable for its keenness, fire and 
intelligence, and his face was strongly expressive of vivacity of mind 
and benevolence of character. The general had a most intimate 
knowledge of the history and policy of the United States ; and from 
the moderation of his political views and feelings as a party man, 
although firm, frank and consistent, he was well calculated for the 
high station given him by the people, and which it is believed he 
would have filled with ability, and to general satisfaction. 





COLONEL GEORGE CROGHAN 




J AS born at Locust Grove, near the falls of Ohio, on 
the 15th of November, 1791. His father, Major 
William Croghan, left Ireland at an early period, was 
appointed an officer in our revolutionary army, and 
E2§^' discharged his duties as such, to the satisfaction of 
the commander-in-chief. His mother is the daughter of John Clark, 
Esq., of Virginia, a gentleman of worth and respectability, who 
exerted himself greatly, and contributed largely towards the support 
of the revolutionary contest. He had five sons ; four of whom were 
officers in the revolutionary army. General William Clark, who 
together with Captain Lewis, explored the western boundary of the 
United States, and who was afterwards the governor of Louisiana, was 
too young to participate with his brothers in the achievement of that 
event. The military talents of George R. Clark, have obtained for 
him the flattering appellation of " the father of the western countrv." 
Col. Croghan has always been esteemed jrenerous and humane ; and, 
when a boy, his manly appearance and independence of sentiment and 
action, commanded the attention and admiration of all who knew him. 

C53 



654 GEORGE CROGHAN. 

While in the state of Kentucky, his time was principally occupied 
with the study of his native tongue — geography — the elements of 
geometry — and the Latin and the Greek languages. In these differ- 
ent branches of literature he made a respectable progress. 

In the year 1808, he left Locust Grove, for the purpose of prose- 
cuting his studies in the University of William and Mary. In this 
institution he graduated as A. B. on the 4th of July, 1810; and 
delivered, on the day of his graduation, an oration on the subject of 
expatriation. This oration was deemed by the audience, concise, 
ingenious, and argumentative, and was pronounced in a manner 
which did great credit to his oratorical powers. The ensuing sum- 
mer he attended a course of lectures on law, and, on the termination 
of the course, returned to his father's, where he prosecuted the study 
of the same profession, and occasionally indulged himself in miscella- 
neous reading. Biography and history have always occupied much 
of his attention. He is (as his countenance indicates,) rather of a 
serious cast of mind ; but no one admires more a pleasant anecdote, 
or an unaffected sally of wit. With his friends, he is affable and 
free from reserve — his manners are prepossessing ; he dislikes osten- 
tation, and was never heard to utter a word in praise of himself. 

In the autumn of 1811, was fought the battle of Tippecanoe. 
This was the first ppportunity that offered for the display of his 
military talents. He embraced it with avidity — he left his father's 
house in the character of a volunteer, and was appointed aid to 
Genera] Harrison. On the 7th of November, an attack was made 
on the troops under the command of that officer ; the enemy were 
repulsed with valor ; and, during the engagement, young Croghan 
evinced the greatest courage, activity and military skill. His services 
were acknowledged by all ; and he exhibited such proofs of a genius 
for war, that many of his companions in arms remarked, that " he was 
born a soldier." A cant saying among the troops of Tippecanoe, 
was " to do a main business," and during the battle he would ride from 
post to post, exciting the courage of the men by exclaiming, " Now 
my brave fellows, now is the time to do a main business." Upon the 
return of the troops from Tippecanoe, they were frequently met by 
persons coming to ascertain the fate of their children or friends. 
Among the number of these was a very poor and aged man, whose 
son was slain in the battle. Croghan having ascertained the situation 
of the old man, and observing his inability to perform much bodily 
labor, regularly made his fires for him every morning, and supplied 
him with provisions, clothes and money. Many acts of this kind are 
related of him by the soldiers and officers of Tippecanoe. 

After the battle of Tippecanoe, and upon the prospect of a speedy 



CROGHAN AT FORT STEPHENSON. 



655 



declaration of war against Great Britain, he expressed a desire to 
join the army. Recommendatory letters of the most flattering kind 
were written by Generals Harrison and Boyd, to the secretary of war, 
and upon the commencement of hostilities, he was appointed captain 
in the 17th regiment of infantry. He was stationed sometime at 
Clark cantonment, near the falls of Ohio ; but had not been long in 
command there, before he was ordered to march, with what regulars 
he had, to the head-quarters of the north-western army, then at 
Detroit. Before they had proceeded far tbey heard of Hull's surren- 
der. Shortly after this, to the Americans, unfortunate event, Governor 
Harrison, who had received a major-general's commission in the regu- 
lar army, was appointed to command the United States forces on the 
north-western frontier. 

Captain Croghan commanded a short time, Fort Defiance, on the 
Miami of the Lakes ; but after the defeat of General Winchester, 
he was ordered to Fort Meigs, upon which the enemy designed an 
attack. Here General Harrison commanded in person. Every 
disposition both for attack and defence, was made by the conflicting 
parties. The siege began on the 28th of April, and on the 9th of 
May following, the besiegers commenced their retreat covered with 
disgrace. Here Croghan particularly signalized himself with his 
corps, by several handsome and brilliant charges on the enemy. For 
his conduct on this occasion, he received the particular notice of the 
commanding general ; and was shortly after advanced to a majority, 
and was stationed with his battalion at Upper Sandusky. From this 
he was ordered to Fort Stephenson, twenty miles above the mouth 
of Sandusky river, with orders from General Harrison to destroy the 
stores and abandon the fort, if the enemy made his appearance. 
Learning that the enemy designed to attack him he disobeyed his 
orders, and immortalized his fame. He labored day and night to 
place the fort in a state of defence. 

The necessity of cutting a ditch round the fort immediately pre- 
sented itself to him. This was done — but in order to render the 
enemy's plans abortive, should they even succeed in leaping the 
ditch, which was nine feet wide and six deep, he had large logs 
placed on the top of the fort, and so adjusted that an inconsiderable 
weight would cause them to fall from their position, and crush to 
death all who might be situated below. 

A short time before the action, he wrote the following concise and 
impressive letter to a friend : " The enemy are not far distant : I 
expect an attack — I will defend this post to the last extremity. 
I have just sent away the women and children, that I may be 
able to act without encumbrance. Be satisfied : I hope to do my 



656 



GEORGE CROGHAN. 




Defence of Fort Stephenson. 

duty. The example set me by my revolutionary kindred is before 
me — let me die rather than prove unworthy of their name." 

On the first of August, General Proctor made his appearance be- 
fore the fort. His troops consisted of five hundred regulars, and 
about seven hundred Indians of the most ferocious kind. There 
were but one hundred and thirty-three effective men in the garrison, 
and the works covered one acre of ground. The pickets were about 
ten feet high, surrounded by a ditch, with a block-house at each 
angle of the fort, one of which contained a six-pounder. This was 
the exact state of the post at the time the enemy appeared. The 
first movement made by the enemy was to make such a disposition 
of his forces as to prevent the escape of the garrison, if they should 
be disposed to attempt it. He then sent Colonel Elliot with a flag, 
to demand the surrender of the fort. He was met by Ensign Shipp. 
The British officer observed that General Proctor had a number of 
cannon, a large body of regular troops, and so many Indians, whom 
it was impossible to control, that if the fort was taken, as it must 
be, the whole of the garrison would be massacred. Shipp answered, 
that it was the determination of Major Croghan, his officers and 
men to defend the garrison or be buried in it, and that they might do 
their best. Colonel Elliot addressed Mr. Shipp again — " You are a 
fine young man, I pity your situation ; for God's sake surrender, and 
prevent the dreadful slaughter that must follow resistance." Shipp 
turned from him with indignation, and was immediately taken hold 
of by an Indian, who attempted to wrest his sword from him. Major 



DEFENCE OF FORT STEPHENSON. 657 

Croghan, observing what passed, called to Shipp to come into the 
fort, which was instantly obeyed, and the action commenced. The 
firing began from the gun-boats in the rear, and was kept up during 
the night. 

At an early hour the next morning, three six-pounders, which had 
been planted during the night, within two hundred and fifty yards of 
the pickets, began to play upon the fort, but with little effect. About 
four p. m. all the enemy's guns were concentrated against the north- 
western angle of the fort, for the purpose of making a breach. To 
counteract the effect of their fire, Major Croghan caused that point 
to be strengthened by means of bags of flour, sand, and other mate- 
rials, in such a manner that the picketing sustained little or no injury. 
But the enemy, supposing their fire had sufficiently shattered the 
pickets, advanced, to the number of five hundred, to storm the place, 
at the same time making two feints on different points. 

The column which advanced against the north-western angle, was 
so completely enveloped in smoke, as not to be discovered until it 
had approached within eighteen or twenty paces of the lines, but the 
men being all at their posts, and ready to receive it, commenced so 
heavy and galling a fire as to throw the column into confusion ; but 
being quickly rallied, Lieutenant-Colonel Short, the leader of the 
column, exclaimed, " Come on my brave fellows, we will give these 

d d yankee rascals no quarters," and immediately leapt into the 

ditch, followed by his troops : as soon as the ditch was entirely filled 
by the assailants, Major Croghan ordered the six-pounder which had 
been masked in the block-house, to be fired. It had been loaded 
with a double charge of musket balls and slugs. The piece com- 
pletely raked the ditch from end to end. The first fire levelled the 
one half in Seath ; the second or third either killed or wounded 
every one except eleven, who were covered by the dead bodies. At 
the same time, the fire of small arms was so incessant and destruc- 
tive, that it was in vain the British officers exerted themselves to 
lead on the balance of the column ; it retired in disorder under a 
shower of shot, and sought safety in an adjoining wood. The loss 
of the enemy in killed was about one hundred and fifty, besides a 
considerable number of their allies. The Americans had but one 
killed and seven slightly wounded. Early in the morning of the 3d, 
the enemy retreated down the river, after having abandoned con- 
siderable baggage. 

The garrison was composed of regulars, all Kentuckians ; a finer 

company of men was not to be found in the United States, perhaps 

not in the world. They were as humane as courageous. This is 

proved by their unceasing attention to the wounded enemy after 

43 



658 GEORGE CROGHAN. 

their discomfiture ; during the night they kindly received into the 
fort, through the fatal port-hole of the block-house, all those who 
were able to crawl to it ; to those unable to move, they threw can- 
teens filled with water. They even parted with their clothes to 
alleviate the sufferings of the wounded. 

Notwithstanding his disobedience of orders, for the successful 
defence of this post, Major Croghan was raised to the rank of lieu- 
tenant-colonel. 

In the beginning of July, an expedition for the recapturing of 
Michilimackinac, was intrusted to his command. This was fitted 
out from Detroit. 

On the 20th of July, the troops were landed at St. Joseph's ; and 
the fort, which had been evacuated, set on fire. Major Holmes was 
then ordered to the Sault St. Mary's, for the purpose of breaking up 
the enemy's establishment at that place. He arrived the day after ; 
but the north-west agent had received notice of his approach, and 
succeeded in escaping with a considerable amount of goods, after 
setting fire to a vessel above the falls : the design of this latter 
measure was frustrated. The vessel was brought down the falls on 
the 25th, but having bilged, was destroyed. Considerable property 
belonging to the enemy was taken. 

On the 4th of August, a landing of the troops under Croghan and 
Morgan was effected, at Mackinac ; but the strength of the enemy's 
works rendered it impossible to carry the place by storm, with a 
small number of troops ; and, after a severe conflict, a retreat became 
indispensable, and was accordingly effected. 

Although this expedition proved unsuccessful in its issue, its failure 
was not ascribable to any misconduct on the part of the commanding 
officer. Everything was done that vigilance, bravery and^erseverance 
could achieve. 

The American loss was thirteen killed, fifty-one wounded, and two 
missing — loss of the enemy not known. 

After this affair, Colonel Croghan determined to remain on Lake 
Huron for a time, with three companies, for the purpose of breaking 
up any depots which the enemy might have on the east side of the 
lake. 

He learned that the only line of communication from York to 
Mackinac, &c, was by the way of Lake Simcoe and Nautawasaga 
river, which empties into Lake Huron, about one hundred miles south- 
east of Cabot's Head. 

On the 13th of August, the fleet anchored off the mouth of that 
river, and the troops were quickly disembarked on the peninsula 
formed between the river and lake, for the purpose of fixing a camp. 



SERVICES IN MEXICO. 



659 



On reconnoitering the position thus taken, it was discovered that 
the enemy's schooner Nancy was drawn up in the river a few hun- 
dred yards above, under cover of a block-house, erected on a com- 
manding situation on the opposite shore. 

On the following morning, a fire for a few minutes was kept up 
by the shipping upon the block-house, but with little effect. At twelve 
o'clock, two howitzers being placed within a few hundred yards, 
commenced a fire, which lasted but a few minutes, when the block- 
house blew up ; at the same time, fire was communicated to the 
Nancy, (by the bursting of one of our shells,) which was so quickly 
enveloped in flames as to render any attempts which might have, 
been made to save her unavailing, giving the enemy barely time to 
make his escape before an explosion took place. 

The loss of the Nancy was severely felt by the enemy ; her cargo 
consisting (at the time of her being on fire) of several hundred bar- 
rels of provisions, intended as a six months' supply for the garrison 
at Mackinac 

Colonel Croghan afterwards returned to Detroit. 

Colonel Croghan continued in active service during the remainder 
of the war, and some time after the reduction of the army he re- 
signed his commission. In May, 1817, he was married to a daughter 
of John R. Livingston, Esq., at New York, having in the March 
previous resigned his commission. He was then appointed post- 
master at New Orleans, but in 1825 re-entered the army, and was 
assigned the post of inspector-general. He has served as such 
twenty-two years. Colonel Croghan joined the army in Mexico 
after the taking of Matamoras, and behaved with distinguished gal- 
lantry at Monterey and Buena Vista. Subsequently government 
ordered him to the United States. 





MAJOR GENERAL ELEAZAR WHEELOCK RIPLEY. 




; AS born at Hanover, New Hampshire, the seat of 
Dartmouth College, April 15th, 1782. He is the 
grandson of the venerable and pious founder of that 
institution, Dr. Eleazar Wheelock, whose name he 
Sags b earS) anc i nephew of the learned president, Hon- 
orable John Wheelock, LL. D. His father, the Reverend Syl- 
vanus Ripley, a graduate of the first class, and the first professor 
of divinity in the college, died in the beginning of the year 1787, 
universally respected and beloved. Of a young family of six children 
left in circumstances not affluent, to the care of an intelligent and 
pious mother, the subject of this sketch was the second son, then in 
the fifth year of his age. 

He pursued with assiduity the studies preparatory for admission 
into college ; and having completed his academic course, he received 
the first honors of the University in 1800. He then applied himself 
to the study of the law, and shortly afterwards was admitted to 
practice in the county court of York county, in the district of Maine, 
state of Massachusetts. At the bar he manifested talents which 
ranked him among the higher order of barristers, and procured him a 
popularity that introduced him to a seat in the legislature of his 
native state, as a representative from the town of Winslow, or Water- 
ville, as soon as the qualification of age would admit. In that body 
ne was not an inefficient member. His political course was marked 
660 



ATTACK ON YORK. 



661 



with action based on the principles of the constitution of the United 
States, and the rights of mankind. To contend with political oppo- 
nents who had evinced talents, such as ranked them high as states- 
men, was a task of no ordinary magnitude, and he who undertook it, 
if triumphant, was sure to stand high in party honors. 

In January, 1812, he was elected speaker of the. legislature of 
Massachusetts, in the place of the honorable Joseph Story, who had 
then just been elevated to a seat on the bench of the supreme court of 
the United States. At this period, he had scarcely attained his thirtieth 
year, so fast were his " blushing honors thickening on him." The 
subsequent session of the legislature was held in May : he was not a 
member. Having removed to Portland, he was chosen a senator 
from Cumberland and Oxford, and took his seat accordingly, in the 
senate of Massachusetts. In the March following, he disappointed 
all the fond anticipations of his friends in regard to his rising great- 
ness, by accepting a lieutenant-colonel's commission in the army 
of the United States. The relations then existing between the 
United States and Great Britain, it was rightly supposed, would 
eventuate in an open rupture, and he had directed his attention to 
the tented field, to avenge the wrongs heaped on his country by that 
haughty and overbearing nation. On the eve of the declaration of 
war he had been intrusted by General Dearborn with the command 
of the forts and harbors on the extreme eastern coast of the Union. 
In this station, he manifested an activity in disciplining his men and 
strengthening the fortifications, which proclaimed his worth as an 
officer. In September, 18 12, he marched from Portland and reached 
Plattsburgh in October, a distance of more than four hundred miles. 
Here he joined the northern army commanded by Brigadier-General 
Bloomfield. After the campaign had closed, he retired into winter 
quarters at Burlington in Vermont, where, by unwearied exertions, 
he increased his regiment to seven hundred men before the following 
spring. His regiment became remarkable for its accuracy in disci- 
pline and neatness of dress. 

On the 12th of March, 1813, Lieutenant-Colonels Ripley, Gaines, 
and Scott, were promoted at the same time to the rank of colonel. 

In ten days of that month, Colonel Ripley marched his regiment 
from Plattsburgh to Sackett's Harbor. At the attack on York in 
Upper Canada, April 27th, he first drew his sword for his country. 

General Dearborn, with seventeen hundred chosen troops, em- 
barked at Sackett's Harbor, and having arrived before York, confided 
the immediate command in the attack to the gallant General Pike. 

The American army, having debarked, formed in two lines. The 
21st regiment, divided into six platoons, with Colonel McClure's 



662 



ELEAZAR W RIPLEY. 



volunteers on their flanks, composed the second line. Thus disposed, 
they moved on to the attack in columns, when the British general, 
panic-struck, retreated, blowing up one of his magazines. The 
explosion was tremendous, and friend and foe were its common vic- 
tims — General Pike was mortally wounded, and died smiling in the 
arms of victory. Colonel Ripley was slightly wounded, and the 
command devolved on Colonel Pearce, of the 16th regiment, until 
General Dearborn came on shore. The British General Sheaffe, 
was distinctly seen on his retreat, and the wounded Colonel Ripley 
pressed his pursuit without delay. The apprehension of another 
explosion, produced an hour's delay, which enabled the fugitive foe 
to escape. The town, containing public property of great value, was 
captured. Some excesses by the American soldiery, were at first 
committed. To put a stop to this, General Dearborn ordered Colo- 
nel Ripley and his regiment, as a town guard, to protect private 
property. The colonel executed the command with the strictest 
propriety, and under circumstances very honorable to himself — for 
spoils which by the rules of war were his, he spurned to touch. By 
some unaccountable neglect, he remained on duty three days and 
nights without sleep. Incessant duty and fatigne impaired his 
health. The army after it again disembarked at Niagara, was sickly, 
in consequence of its exposure to rains for a week on board the fleet. 

Colonel Ripley was present at the capture of Fort George, on the 
27th of May ; but was not present in the action on Stony Creek, 
when Generals Chandler and Winder were taken by surprise. In 
order to afford him an opportunity to repair his feeble health, Gene- 
ral Dearborn ordered his regiment, diminished by hard service, to 
convoy the prisoners to Oswego, and then proceed to Sackett's Har- 
bor. Having accomplished this duty, he was detained at that post 
several days by severe sickness. His devotion to the military art, 
induced him to resist every advice at Sackett's Harbor, to withdraw 
for some time from the duties of his station. His attachment to 
Fame, induced him to press forward and make every sacrifice to> 
enter the portals of her Temple. 

Preferring the British mode of drill, he made his regiment per- 
fectly acquainted therewith, prior to their embarkation under Gene- 
ral Wilkinson, in the intended attack against Montreal, the failure 
of which, was owing to the incapacity of the then secretary of war, 
and General Hampton. 

In descending the river St. Lawrence for the attack on Montreal, 
a severe duty was necessary — every corps of the army was exposed 
to the attacks of a vigilant foe. The 11th of November, was dis- 
tinguished by the battle of Williamsburg}), where the lamented and 



APPOINTED BRIGADIER GENERAL. 



665 



brave Covington fell. Colonel Ripley, with his regiment, commenced 
the action. His conduct throughout the contest, was marked with 
peculiar bravery. The troops fought in great confusion, and the battle 
lasted for three hours. In giving orders, the fence on which he stood, 
was carried away by a cannon ball. The part of his regiment in 
action, amounted to three hundred and thirty-nine men, of which 
about eighty were killed or wounded. He went into winter quarters 
at French Mills, in consequence of the refusal of General Hampton 
to unite with General Wilkinson. Here his regiment, at the consoli- 
dation of the army, was united with the 1 1th. His wife, to whom 
he was married in 1811, repaired to him in camp, against the entrea- 
ties of friends, in order to assist him in his feeble state of health. In 
the midst of winter, the cantonment was ordered to be broken up, 
and the army ordered to repair to the Niagara frontier. Colonel 
Ripley was ordered to proceed to Albany to forward on artillery 
and stores for the ensuing campaign. At this time the consolidated 
regiments were restored. On the 18th of April, Colonel Ripley was 
advanced to the rank of brigadier-general. He took leave of the 
officers and men of his regiment, on this occasion, who manifested 
for him every token of respect, the officers having presented him an 
elegant sword as a grateful recollection. 

A short time previous to this, General Scott, in the absence of 
General Brown, took the command of the army at Buffalo. This 
officer used every exertion to promote a strict and necessary disci- 
pline. Each corps was anxious to excel. General Ripley devoted 
his time to the instruction of his brigade. 

On the arrival of General Brown at Buffalo, in June, 1813, it 
was determined to invade the upper province, in order to attack Fort 
George and recover Fort Niagara, and thence to march round the 
lakv. to Kingston. This project General Ripley opposed with all his 
talents, for he was sensible that the army, which consisted of less 
than three thousand regular troops, was too feeble to accomplish the 
proposed object. He had already accompanied three invasions of 
Canada, with an incompetent force. He knew that Fort Erie, 
directly opposite to Buffalo, must immediately fall ; but in respect 
to the ultimate objects, he saw no prospect of success. Although 
the invasion brought high honor to the American arms — in gaining 
which he had a full participation — yet the result justified his opinions. 
Not one of the grand objects proposed was accomplished. 

In making the necessary arrangements, the ninth, eleventh and 
twenty-fifth regiments were assigned to the brigade of General Scott, 
while General Ripley had the twenty-first, under Major Grafton, with 
which were incorporated, during the campaign, one company of the 



666 



ELEAZAR W. RIPLEY. 



seventeenth, under Captain Chunn, and one company of the twelfth 
under Lieutenant McDonald. He had also a battalion of the twenty- 
third regiment under Major McFarland, consisting principally of 
recruits lately received and imperfect in discipline. The four regi 
ments first mentioned were of .New England, and the last one of* 
New York. 

On the 3d of July, the American army crossed the Niagara river. 
General Scott with the main body crossed from the boats below Fort 
Erie, while General Ripley, with the twenty-first, in two United 
States' schooners, passed up the lake and disembarked a mile above 
the fort, which was immediately invested. It was surrendered the 
same day without the necessity of firing a gun. The next day the 
army marched to Chippewa, at which place General Brown arrived 
with the reserve under General Ripley at one o'clock at night. The 
battle of July 5th covered General Scott and his brigade with merited 
honor, for in the open field and fair combat he achieved a complete 
victory over superior numbers. General Ripley had no opportunity 
to encounter the enemy. The American army was encamped on the 
south side of Street's creek, distant two miles and an half from the 
enemy's strong work on the north side of Chippewa creek. The 
action was fought on the intermediate plain. For a considerable time 
after the engagement commenced, General Ripley's brigade remained 
drawn up in order of battle, exposed to the fire of the enemy's artil- 
lery, the shot from which ranged through his line — although he was 
very solicitous to advance. At length he was ordered, but at too 
late a period, to take the twenty-first regiment and pass to the left 
of the camp, skirt the woods so as to keep out of view, and fall upon 
the rear of the enemy's right flank. " This order," says General 
Brown, " was promptly obeyed, and the greatest exertions were made 
by the twenty-first regiment, to gain their position and close with the 
enemy, but in vain." General Ripley was obliged to ford Street's 
creek to the left of the bridge, crossing a morass almost impassable 
— when he arrived on the Chippewa, the battle was over. Had this 
detour been suffered to be made as soon as the action commenced, 
the enemy must have lost many prisoners ; and if the retreat across 
Chippewa drawbridge to his works could have been cut off, General 
Riall's whole force would inevitably have been captured. Prudence, 
indeed, might forbid the commanding general to send out a party of 
his reserve on such a duty, at the very beginning of an action, the 
result of which was doubtful ; but the detour was ordered before the 
result of the action could be foreseen. General Brown says, " from 
General Ripley and his brigade I have received every assistance that 
I gave them an opportunity of rendering." 




MOVEMENTS AFTER THE BATTLE OF CHIPPEWA. 667 

|HE American troops gained a splendid victory, but the 
enemy was yet secure in a position of great strength 
behind a deep creek, which could not be forded within 
a distance of forty miles. It was determined to con- 
struct a bridge and force a passage. — July 8th, Gen- 
eral Ripley was detached on this duty. Crossing the bridge over 
Street's creek, he opened a road two or three miles through the woods 
on the left, and reaching the Chippewa one or two miles above the 
British, planted his heavy train of artillery for the protection of the 
artificers, and even began to construct the bridge without exciting 
alarm or being molested. But the British soon appeared with several 
pieces of artillery, and opened a fire of shells and round shot, which 
was returned so vigorously with grape and canister as to force them 
to retreat. Hearing this tremendous cannonade of our eighteen- 
pounders at a point which he supposed inaccessible to our artillery, 
General Riall, instead of strengthening the party which he had de- 
tached, immediately abandoned his strong position, and retired pre- 
cipitately upon Queenstown. The whole American army encamped 
the same night in the enemy's works, having encountered but little 
of the resistance which might have been made to the passage of the 
Chippewa, and which perhaps could have been made with complete 
success. 

July 9th, the United States army proceeded to Queenstown. 
General Riall retired to Fort George, leaving a sufficient garrison 
encamped at Twelve Mile creek, three miles distant from the Ame- 
rican camp, making every exertion to call out the militia, and sending 
down the lake for regular troops. General Ripley, persuaded that 
this was a favorable moment for a decisive action, strongly urged the 
necessity of immediately pursuing the enemy. But our troops 
remained ten days idle at Queenstown, and then attempted to 
besiege Fort George. In the meantime General Riall's army recov- 
ered from the late panic, and was strengthened by the large numbers 
of militia, called out en masse. Had our troops remained three days 
longer before Fort George, their safety would have been put to the 
most imminent hazard, for within that time strong reinforcements 
arrived from Kingston to the enemy, so that Riall would have been 
emboldened to seize a strong position in our rear. This position 
must have been carried by our army in order to effect a retreat ; for 
being destitute of boats, it was impossible to cross the Niagara below 
the falls. But on the 22d of July our troops fell back to Queenstown 
Heights, and on the 24th to Chippewa. 

About this time General Ripley's brigade was strengthened by the 
veteran battalion of the 23d regiment, under Major Brooke, from 



668 



ELEAZAR W. RIPLEY. 



Plattsburgh ; and Colonel Miller, who was promoted to the 21st, 
arrived and took command of that regiment. 

The memorable battle of Niagara Falls, July 25th, covered General 
Ripley and his brigade with military glory ; which, though not so 
durable as the thunder of the cataract, will yet be as permanent 
as the memory of the action and as the honors which are awarded 
to the brave. 

The British having received strong reinforcements from Kingston, 
were put in motion in pursuit of the American army. A column of 
five hundred British, under Lieutenant-Colonel Tucker, was detached 
to Lewistown, on the American side of the Niagara, to capture the 
American sick and baggage. General Riall advanced from his 
encampment at Twelve Mile creek by the Lundy Lane road, which 
intersects the river road just below the falls; — and Genera] Drum- 
mond marched from Fort George, on the river road direct to Chip- 
pewa. General Brown, who was now meditating the pursuit of 
General Riall, and a long march to Burlington Heights, did not 
apprehend that the enemy was near him, and in a capacity to fight. 
To recall Colonel Tucker from the American side of the river 
and to prevent his marching towards Buffalo, General Brown deter- 
mined to make a movement towards Queenstown, seven miles below 
the falls. 

General Scott, who was detached with about one thousand men, 
marched in the afternoon ; but when he reached the junction of the 
Lundy Lane road with the road down the river, he found General 
Riall, who had just arrived from the Twelve Mile creek, occupying 
a strong position. The action immediately commenced, at the distance 
of about three miles from the American camp. As soon as the firing 
was heard, General Ripley formed his brigade, and by order of Gen- 
eral Brown advanced to the support of General Scott. His brigade 
that morning reported seven hundred and thirty men fit for duty ; of 
these a hundred or more were on guard, or out of camp when he was 
ordered to march. He proceeded instantly, and, with his uncommon 
rapidity, his men actually running a part of the way, had arrived on the 
ground between sunset and dark. At this time, General Scott's bri- 
gade having suffered extremely by the tremendous fire of the enemy's 
artillery of nine pieces planted on a height in the centre of their line, 
was covered in the woods. General Ripley, as is stated by General 
Brown, was ordered to disengage and relieve General Scott, by form- 
ing a new line ; but the precise order was, that he should form on the 
right of General Scott ; and this was the only order which he received 
except the order at the close of the action to retire from the field. 
His aid, Lieutenant McDonald, bringing intelligence that the right of 



BATTLE OF NIAGARA. 



671 



General Scott would bring him in the woods out of the fight, he 
resolved to advance directly towards the enemy. As he advanced, 
the fire of the battery was directed at his brigade. Two shrapnell 
shells only, striking the 23d regiment, killed and wounded twenty- 
four men. To remain exposed to this dreadful fire, was impossible, 
for his brigade also would soon be cut to pieces. There was no 
alternative but either to carry the battery or abandon the field. 
Having made his decision, General Ripley put his brigade in motion 
to execute the desperate enterprise. Regardless of the enemy's fire, 
he marched down the road until he arrived within a short distance in 
front of the height. Here the smoke and darkness favored him, and 
being in a hollow, the shot passed over his head. In order to execute 
his intentions, he formed in line his gallant 21st regiment, in which 
as well as in Colonel Miller, he had perfect confidence, directly 
fronting the battery. He determined to lead himself the 23d regi- 
ment, which consisted partly of recruits, and required his presence, 
and attack the enemy's left flank to divert their attention from 
the 21st. 

AVING made his arrangements, he marched off 
the 23d regiment a little to the right, then giving 
it a direction towards the battery, led his troops 
to the attack, being himself on horseback. 
Receiving the fire of the enemy, the regiment 
faltered, but he immediately rallied it and re- 
newed the action. Colonel Miller made the 
assault in front with determined bravery ; and the line of infantry, 
posted for the support of the artillery, being dispersed by the attack 
on the flank, the battery was carried at the first charge. Confident 
that the utmost efforts would be directed to the recovery of this 
position and of the artillery, General Ripley immediately sent his aid 
to General Brown, to apprise him of what had been done, and to 
request him to remove and secure the cannon, but the request was 
disregarded. Advancing his line some distance in front of the bat- 
tery, the 23d regiment with Towson's artillery, was formed on the 
right of the 21st. A part of the first regiment, under Lieutenant- 
Colonel Nicholas, was stationed on the left, and on the extreme left 
the brave General Porter with his volunteers. Before the close of 
the battle, the 25th regiment also, under Major Jessup, was directed 
to be brought up, and was formed on the right of the whole. In this 
order the attack was awaited. General Ripley directed the front 
rank to kneel, and that not a gun should be fired until the enemy had 
delivered his fire— then, that deliberate aim should be taken. As 
the British advanced to the attack, they received such a deadly fire, 




672 



ELEAZAR W. RIPLEY. 



as to be driven again down the hill. These charges were repeated 
five or six times with the same result. At this period, General 
Scott, eager to strike a decisive blow, threw himself before General 
Ripley's line without apprising him of the movement, attacked the 
enemy, but was wounded and repulsed. Being between two fires, 
it is supposed, that in consequence of the darkness and confusion, 
he suffered from both. Obstinate and indignant at the loss of the 
battery, and at the result of every attempt to recover it, the British 
forces advanced with heroic determination. General Ripley's brigade, 
and other troops under his command, were formed as before. Not- 
withstanding a most destructive fire, the enemy pressed on and 
engaged with the point of the bayonet. Overcome by numbers, our 
troops on the right and left gave way ; Towson was obliged to spike 
and abandon his pieces, and total discomfiture seemed unavoidable. 
But a part of the central brigade, animated by the gallantry of their 
commander, remained firm ; the flanks were rallied by his exertions, 
and the exertions of the brave officers, and the enemy was again 
forced down the hill. This was the termination of the conflict, for 
at this period, after the enemy had been repulsed in the last attack, 
General Ripley received an order from General Brown to collect his 
wounded, and retire immediately to camp. Upon going to his rear, 
and finding that the cannon had not been removed, and ' the trophies 
of victory' had not been accomplished according to his request, he 
ordered a detachment of Porter's volunteers to drag them off the 
ground ; but the want of ropes rendered it necessary to leave them 
behind. Besides, the men after fighting five or six hours, were 
exhausted by fatigue, and incapable of exertion. Nor was it safe to 
linger in the rear, for the enemy immediately pressed up the hill, and 
actually took several prisoners by the side of the artillery. As Gene- 
ral Ripley marched from the field of battle, but two platoons of General 
Scott's brigade under Major Leavenworth, could be collected ; and 
of the whole army, it was estimated by several officers, that no more 
than five hundred men returned with him to camp, the rest having 
been dispersed. 

Such was the heroic enterprise, which was projected, ordered and 
executed by General Ripley, who was on horseback, and frequently 
in front during the whole engagement. Two musket balls pierced 
his hat, another struck a button off his coat, and another wounded 
his horse. The principal officer belonging to the brigade, that fell, 
was the brave Major McFarland of the 23d. Of six generals present, 
four were severely, and one slightly wounded. General Ripley 
alone, although exposed to every danger, was unhurt. In this action, 
there was a greater loss of men in killed and wounded, than occurred 



RIPLEY AT FORT ERIE. 673 

in any battle during the war of the revolution — the British acknow- 
ledging a loss of eight hundred and seventy-eight ; and our loss but 
seven hundred and forty-three. The last charge, about the hour ot 
midnight, was a fearful and tremendous conflict. 

After the return to camp, General Brown, who states that he had 
assigned the command to General Ripley, yet ordered him, as the 
day dawned, " to put himself on the field of battle, and meet the 
enemy if he appeared." He was ordered to take his own brigade 
and Porter's volunteers. He inarched accordingly ; but after cross- 
ing the Chippewa, was ordered to furnish refreshments to the men. 
At this time, and not before, the first of General Scott's brigade was 
added to his command. Coming in sight of the enemy, and finding 
that they occupied the battle ground, retaining their cannon, he 
halted his troops, determined not to risk a general action with an 
enemy ' superior in numbers and position.' The wisdom of abandon- 
ing the battery in the night, in order to take it again in the morning, 
was to him inexplicable. If he was beaten, he knew that he had no 
place of retreat, and that the whole army would be lost ; whereas, 
if the enemy, by a miracle, should again be dislodged and beaten, 
they would retire in safety to Fort George. He therefore determined 
to exercise that prudence which indeed is not always reputable, but 
which is essential to the character of a good general, and frequently 
necessary to the safety of an army. General Porter concurring with 
him in opinion respecting the impolicy of the proposed attack, he 
now resolved to be actual, and not merely nominal, commander of 
the army. For the sake of harmony, however, he first made a repre- 
sentation to General Brown, who at length ordered the troops to 
return to camp, and soon crossed over himself to the American side 
of the river. 

Our army, now left in the unquestioned command of General 
Ripley, was in a critical situation, for the whole effective strength, 
regulars and volunteers, did not exceed two thousand men. Sending 
off the sick and wounded, General Ripley burnt the bridge over the 
Chippewa, and commenced his retreat in good order upon Erie, de- 
stroying every bridge as he passed it, to impede the advance of the 
enemy. He encamped for the night opposite to Black Rock. July 
27th, he took up a position opposite Buffalo ; his right resting on 
Fort Erie, and his line extending about eight hundred yards to Snake 
Hill on the left. Here he determined to fortify, designating himself 
the line of defence. Majors McRee and Wood were the engineers. 
The old Fort Erie, which was extremely feeble, was strengthened, 
and a strong work, called Fort Williams or Towson's battery, was 
constructed on Snake Hill. These two principal works were con- 

43 



674 



ELEAZAR W. RIPLEY. 



nected by a line of intrenchments and traverses, which extended 
also on the right from Fort Erie to Niagara river. On the left from 
Snake Hill to the lake there was an abattis. Thus a triangular space 
was inclosed. The whole army labored on the lines through the day, 
and some of the more athletic in the night. During the whole night, 
one third of the officers and men were kept up to the works, attended 
by General Ripley or some one of his family, ready to resist a sud- 
den attack. By such great exertions a respectable defence was in a 
few days constructed. It was four or five days before General 
Drummond, with a much superior force, encamped opposite Black 
Rock, having unaccountably lost an opportunity, which could not be 
retrieved. To his surprise he found our troops strongly fortified. 

General Gaines, who arrived from Sackett's Harbor on the 4th or 
5th of August, being superior in rank, took the command at Fort 
Erie ; but the system of vigilance and defence which had been insti- 
tuted, was continued. General Ripley resumed the command of his 
brigade, which was stationed on the left flank. 

HE camp at Fort Erie 
was attacked by the 
British on the 15th of 
August. They were re- 
pulsed. On this occa- 
sion the dispositions of 
General Ripley were so 
judiciously made that 
he received no orders 
from the commanding 
officer, General Gaines. 
The particulars of this 
affair are distinctly given in consequence of the unwarrantable report 
of General Brown of September 1st, censuring him " for not meeting 
and beating the enemy on the 26th of July." Apprehensive of the 
designs of the British, General Ripley ordered up his whole brigade 
to the works, and apprised (by his aid) General Gaines of the inten- 
tions of the British, who were advancing, fifteen hundred strong, on 
the left by the Point Abino road, secretly, with no flints in their guns, 
relying on the bayonets for success. Lieutenant Belknap, of the 
twenty-third, who commanded the picket guard two hundred yards in 
advance, first discovered the enemy, gave them his fire, and retired in 
good order. His exertions to save his men had nearly cost him his 
life, as he was so hard pushed that he was bayoneted when entering 
the sally post, but recovered. The attack was so much resisted by 
a destructive fire from Towson's battery and the twenty-first regi- 




SIEGE OF FORT ERIE. 



675 



ment of infantry, under Major Wood, who commanded in the absence 
of Colonel Miller, then on business at Buffalo, that they were com- 
pelled to retreat. The enemy renewed the attack, and were ao-ain 
repulsed. Two hundred of the British waded into the lake in order 
to pass the American abattis, and gain possession of their works. 
These were repulsed by a destructive fire of two companies of 
reserve under Captain Marston, ordered down to the water's edge 
by General Ripley. The British were repulsed on his flank, with 
the loss of one hundred and forty-seven prisoners; and General 
Ripley detached five companies to aid the American right. The 
loss of the British was, by their own report, nine hundred and five, 
while that of the Americans amounted only to eighty-four. General 
Gaines did not judge it prudent to make a sortie. General Gaines 
was wounded in his quarters by a shell on the 28th of August, and 
General Ripley was continued by General Brown in command during 
the siege, which lasted for six weeks. He was frequently exposed 
to danger from the numerous shells which the enemy threw into the 
fort during its investment. The report of General Brown induced 
General Ripley to demand a court of inquiry. Fearful of its result, 
General Brown refused the equitable request. In order to wipe away 
the stigma, ungenerously attempted to be cast on his reputation, 
General Ripley applied to the secretary at war for redress, and the 
secretary promised that a court of inquiry should be held as soon as 
the officers requisite for holding such a court could be spared from 
the service. In executing a sortie on the 17th of September, Gene- 
ral Ripley commanded the reserve, which he early brought up to 
support the advance. After the British batteries were carried, Gene- 
ral Brown committed the whole to General Ripley's command, with 
orders to act as circumstances might require. The general attempted 
an attack on the enemy's camp, and was wounded in the advance by 
a musket-ball, and carried, apparently dead, to Fort Erie. The 
attempt was successful — the cannon of two or three of their batte- 
ries were spiked, and the Americans returned to their quarters, the 
loss of both parties being nearly equal. At the close of the cam- 
paign Fort Erie was abandoned, and the American army crossed over 
to Buffalo. Ripley's wound was very dangerous, and his sufferings 
were excruciating. He travelled by slow stages, and arrived at 
Albany in February, 1815, and finally recovered. As soon as the 
service permitted, Generals Dearborn, Bissel, and Major Porter were 
appointed a court of inquiry, and witnesses summoned, according to 
General Ripley's request. General Brown used every exertion to 
prevent the sitting of the court, but General Ripley persisted in his 
request. However, to save the reputation of General Brown in 



676 



ELEAZAR W. RIPLEY. 



public opinion, an order from the secretary at war, by direction of 
the President of the United States, was received in March, dissolv- 
ing the court, and, as a salvo for Ripley's wounded feelings, a major- 
general's commission by brevet was awarded him, bearing date the 
25th of July, preceding the day on which the battle of Niagara was 
fought. Peace shortly after was announced, which caused a reduc- 
tion in the army. The general had not occasion to say entirely that 
republics are ungrateful, whatever may have been the disposition of 
the cabinet towards him, in awarding to others undeserved honors. 
The legislature of the state of Georgia passed him a vote of thanks 
• — that of New York a vote of thanks and a sword ; and the Con- 
gress of the United States a vote of thanks and a gold medal, as a 
recognition of his valuable services. On the reduction of the army, 
the voice of the public in his favor was such that he was continued 
on the peace establishment ; although some others who had spent 
their lives in their country's service, through intrigue and cabal, were 
thrown into the vale of obscurity and private life. 

General Ripley resigned, a major-general by brevet, in May, 1820. 
He subsequently practised law in New Orleans ; and was a member 
of the twenty-fourth Congress, from Louisiana. He died on the 2d 
of March, 1837. 





BRIGADIER GENERAL JOHN ARMSTRONG. 



ENERAL ARMSTRONG, son of the officer of the 
same name who served in the old French war, was 
born in 1758, at Carlisle, Pa. When eighteen he 
joined the. army as avolunteer, about the commence- 
ment of the Revolution, was in the northern campaign 
under Washington, and fought under him at Princeton. Here 
he distinguished himself by his bravery, and when General 
Mercer fell, received him in his arms. He afterwards joined 
the staff of General Gates, received the rank of major, and 
acted as such until the peace. He was author of the celebrated 
Newburg addresses, which produced an intense sensation throughout 
the army. 

Major Armstrong was secretary of the state of Pennsylvania, during 
the gubernatorial term of Dr. Franklin, and subsequently member of 
About the year 1789 he married a daughter of 

677 




the old Congress 



678 



JOHN ARMSTRONG. 



Chancellor Livingston. In 1800, he was chosen United States senator 
from New York, and while still serving in that capacity received the 
appointment of minister to France, from President Jefferson, a station 
which he filled six years. 

Soon after the declaration of war by the United States against 
Great Britain in 1812, he was appointed a brigadier-general in the 
United States army, and assigned to the command of the district 
embracing the city and harbor of New York ; and in February of the 
following year, he succeeded Dr. Eustis as secretary of war. This 
office he accepted with the greatest reluctance, having no confidence 
in the fitness of the generals whom the president (Mr. Madison) had 
appointed to the chief command of the American forces, and expect- 
ing only defeat and disaster until they should be superseded by 
younger, and more active as well as more able men. They had, it 
is true, seen and done some service in the revolution, but only in 
subordinate capacities ; and, becoming enervated by a repose of 
thirty years, they had, according to General Armstrong, " lost all 
ambitious aspirations, while they had forgotten all they ever knew, 
and were ignorant of the later improvements in military science." In 
this condition of things, the new secretary of war adopted the step, 
with difficulty acquiesced in by Mr. Madison, of transferring his 
department of the government from Washington to Sackett's Harbor, 
that he might be near the scene of the operations to be directed, from 
the state of New York, against Canada. But even his presence was 
unable to counteract the evils resulting from the mistaken appoint- 
ments which had been made. The generals in command were not 
deterred from setting aside his instructions as to the plan of the 
campaign (of 1813); and, superadding to their other disqualifica- 
tions that of quarrelling among themselves, the result of the efforts 
made for the conquest of Canada was precisely such as General 
Armstrong, before going into office, had predicted as likely, under 
the circumstances, to ensue. — The capture of Washington, in August, 
1814, led to General Armstrong's retirement from the war office, 
an act which terminated his political career. That no especial blame 
could be attached to him for this untoward event, must be manifest, 
when we are told that the individual (General Winder) who was 
placed at the head of the forces which had been assembled for the 
defence of the District of Columbia, and who commanded against the 
enemy in the action at Bladensburg, had been appointed by the presi- 
dent to this post " against the advice of the secretary," as also, that the 
latter had, under a decision of the president, been constrained " to 
leave the military functionaries to a discharge of their own duties, on 
their own responsibility." Public opinion, however, without any 



DEATH OF ARMSTRONG. 



679 



minute inquiry into the causes of the disaster which had happened, 
very naturally perhaps, fixed upon the head cf the war department of 
the administration as a principal object of blame. Mr. Madison, though 
aware of the injuslice of the clamor raised against the. secretary, and 
in no wise disposed to take any step of a nature calculated to affect 
the reputation of this officer injuriously, was induced, from motives 
of precaution, to yield to it to a certain extent. He intimated to 
General Armstrong that a brief visit to his family would give time 
for the ebullition of passion and prejudice to subside, when he would 
be able to return and resume the functions of his office under more 
favorable circumstances. But the general regarded this intimation 
as itself an act of injustice, and fell indignant at its having been 
given. Determining to exercise his functions wholly or not at all, 
he sent in his resignation, which the president accepted. 

In his retirement, General Armstrong's pen was employed on 
various subjects connected with the public good, or belonging to the 
history of his own times. Among the fruits of his literary labors, 
we have a treatise upon gardening, and another upon agriculture, 
that are held in high esteem ; a review of General Wilkinson's 
memoirs, in which he handles the author with great severity; several 
biographical notices ; and a history, in two volumes, of the last war. 
It was his intention to leave behind him a history of the war of the 
revolution, a work in which he had made some progress, and which, 
had he been permitted to finish it, would, there is no doubt, have 
been invested with no ordinary interest, from the fact of his personal 
knowledge of the distinguished men, and most of the important 
events of that period.— Towards the latter part of the year 1842, 
he fell into a decline, and gradually wasting away, he breathed his 
last, in the full possession of his mental faculties, and in the eighty- 
fifth year of his age, on the. first day of April, 1843.* 




Encyclopedia Americana. 




BRIGADIER GENERAL SAMUEL SMITH. 




'ENERAL SMITH was a native of Lancaster county, 

Pennsylvania, born July 27th, 1752. Soon after his 

birth his father removed to Maryland, where he took a 

conspicuous part in political affairs. The son received a 

liberal education, and afterwards engaged in mercantile 

pursuits. The aggressions of Great Britain toward her colonies early 

engaged his attention, and in January 1776, he obtained a captaincy 

in Colonel Smallwood's regiment. He was with the army in its 

disastrous campaign in the middle states, and at the opening of the 

year 1777, had risen to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, in which 

capacity he served in the battle of Brandywine. When Lord Howe, 

having obtained possession of Philadelphia, was using every exertion 

to open a communication with his fleet, he was intrusted with the 

defence of Fort Mifflin on the Delaware, and during seven weeks 

held it against the efforts of the entire British fleet. His gallantry 
680 



HIS DEATH. 



681 



on this occasion elicited warm approbation from Washington, and 
admiration even from the enemy. Congress rewarded him with a 
sword arid their thanks. He fought at the battle of Monmouth, 
and took part in the subsequent operations of that campaign. After 
the war he remained in the army, was given command of the Mary 
land militia in the Whiskey riots, and afterwards used his utmost 
efforts in support of the new constitution. In the war of 1812, he 
was appointed major-general of the militia ; and when the British at- 
tacked Baltimore, he received the chief command of the troops des- 
tined to oppose them. He remained with the army some time after 
this event, but eventually retired to domestic enjoyment. Once 
only was his retirement interrupted by a military duty. This was 
in 1836, when a popular outbreak, consequent upon the derangement 
of the currency, took place in Baltimore. Tt was quelled without 
bloodshed. General Smith filled several important civil offices. He 
was a member of the popular branch of Congress for sixteen years, 
and of the senate for twenty-three. In 1837, he was elected mayor 
of Baltimore, which office he held until the infirmities of age warned 
him to resign. He died April 22d, 1839, aged eighty-seven. 




Battle Monument, Baltimore. 




MAJOR GENERAL PETER B. PORTER. 




ENERAL PORTER was bom August 14th, 
1773, at Salisbury, Connecticut. He gradu- 
ated at Yale College, and afterwards practised 
law with success. He gradually acquired 
popularity, and was elected a representative 
to Congress, where he remained until the 
opening of the war of 1812. He then took 
charge of the militia on the northern frontier, and performed valuable 
service during the active campaigns in that quarter. 

In the latter part of 1812, he accompanied General Smyth's expe- 
dition into Canada, as the second in command. Smyth contemplated 
a more effectual invasion of this province than that which had 
recently failed ; and on finding his forces inadequate, published a 
proclamation inviting volunteers to join him. This was so successful, 
that on the 27th of November, his army had swelled to four thousand 
five hundred men. Of these, the New York and Pennsylvania volun- 
teers were commanded by General Porter. The expedition had pro- 

682 



GENERAL SMYTH S EXPEDITION. 



683 



vided for its use seventy public boats, each carrying forty men, five 
boats belonging to individuals, having one hundred men, and a num- 
ber of smaller ones. 

Before setting out for Canada, General Smyth published a second 
proclamation, stating his ability and determination to take the coun- 
try in a short time, inviting all patriots to join his standard, and 
excusing the failure of former enterprises, on the score of the inca- 
pacity of their leaders. This was soon afterwards followed by one 
from General Porter, in which he set forth the necessity of the volun- 
teers speedily co-operating with Smyth. 

At three o'clock in the morning of the 28th, the boats put off 
from the American shore, but they had not proceeded one-fourth of 
the way across, when the British batteries opened a galling fire, and 
five of them were obliged to return. In one of these was Colonel 
Winder of the 14th infantry, who commanded the troops to whom 
this hazardous duty was assigned. The command of the 14th 
devolved therefore upon Lieutenant-Colonel Boerstler, who was in 
one of the advance boats with several resolute infantry officers. A 
severe fire of musketry and of grape shot from two pieces of flying 
artillery, was poured upon this part of the squadron, but they effected 
their landing in good order, formed on the shore, and advanced to 
the accomplishment of their object. 

Lieutenant Commandant Angus and his officers, assisted by Samuel 
Swartwout, Esq., of New York, an enterprising citizen, who hap- 
pened to be at the station, acted as volunteers after the landing of 
the troops, and joining their little band of sailors to the regulars, 
under Captain King of the 15th, they stormed the enemy's principal 
batteries and drove him to the Red House, where he rallied with two 
hundred and fifty men, and commenced a rapid fire of musketry 
upon the assailants. Sixty regulars and fifty sailors composed the 
whole American force. The success at the battery, the guns of 
which were spiked, was followed up by a desperate assault upon the 
Red House. The sailors charged with boarding pikes and cutlasses, 
the regulars with the bayonet, and after a hard and destructive 
engagement, they routed the enemy, fired the house in which he 
quartered, and made about fifty prisoners. Lieutenant-Colonel 
Boerstler attacked and dispersed the enemy lower down the river, 
and took also several prisoners. Every battery between Chippewa 
and Fort Erie, was now carried ; the cannon spiked or destroyed, 
and sixteen miles of the Canadian frontier laid waste and deserted. 
The boats returned with the wounded and the prisoners, leaving 
Captain King and twelve men, who were so anxious to complete the 
destruction of every breastwork and barrack of the enemy, that they 



684 



PETER B. PORTER. 



resolved on remaining in possession of the conquered ground, until 
the main body of the army should cross over the strait, and march 
to the assault of the British forts. Sailing Master Watts fell at the 
head of his division of the sailors, while he was gallantly leading 
them on. Midshipman Graham received a severe wound, which 
caused an amputation of a leg. Seven out of twelve of the navy 
officers were wounded. Captain Morgan of the 12th, Captain 
Sprowl and Captain Dix of the 13th, and Lieutenant Lisson, the 
two latter of whom were badly wounded, took a very distinguished 
part in the engagement. 

At sunrise part of the remaining troops at Buffalo began their 
embarkation. They numbered about two thousand under the imme- 
diate command of General Porter. Two thousand more paraded 
on shore, awaiting a second embarkation. About five hundred British 
appeared on the opposite shore. When the troops had become 
impatient with waiting, General Smyth unexpectedly ordered them to 
disembark, silencing their murmurs with the assurance, that the 
expedition was postponed, only in order to place the boats in a better 
condition. The regiments then retired to their quarters, and the 
enemy commenced laboring actively upon their disabled batteries. 

On the 29th (Sunday) the troops were ordered down to the navy 
yard so as to be ready for crossing next morning at nine o'clock. 
The point and time of embarking would have exposed the Americans 
to the whole British fire. This was perceived by the officers, w T ho 
waited on the commander with their objections to his plan. He 
accordingly altered both, determining to land the troops five miles 
below the navy yard before daylight on Tuesday morning. 

On Monday evening, seven boats for Colonel Swift's regiment and 
eight for the new volunteers, were brought up the river and placed 
at different points, so that the noise and confusion of embarking the 
whole at one place might be avoided. At half an hour after three, 
these boats were occupied and took their station opposite the Navy 
Yard. The regulars were to proceed on the right, General Tanne- 
hill's volunteers in the centre, and the New York volunteers on the 
left. General Porter, with a chosen set of men, was appointed to 
proceed in front to direct the landing, and to join the New York 
volunteers when on the opposite shore. On the arrival of the boats 
which were to compose the van, General Porter found that the artil- 
lery were embarking in the scows with as much haste as possible ; 
but one hour elapsed before the regular infantry attempted to follow, 
when Colonel Winder, at the head of the fourteenth, entered the 
boats with great order and silence. Everything seemed to promise 
a speedy and successful issue ; the troops to be embarked were now 



INDIGNATION OF THE TROOPS. 



687 



nearly all in readiness to proceed; General Porter dropped to the 
front of the line with a flag, to designate the leading boat, and the 
word only was wanted to put oft'. The front of the line was one- 
fourth of a mile from the shore, when the rear was observed to be 
retarded, and General Porter received orders from General Smyth 
to disembark immediately. He was at the same time informed that 
the invasion of Canada was abandoned for the season, that the regu- 
lars were ordered into winter quarters, and that, as the services of 
the volunteers could now be dispensed with, they might stack their 
arms and return to their homes. Previously to this order, an inter- 
view had taken place between General Smyth and a British major, 
who came over with a flag. The scene of discontent which followed 
w T as without parallel. Four thousand men, without order or restraint, 
indignantly discharged their muskets in every direction. The per- 
son of the commanding general was threatened. Upwards of one 
thousand men, of all classes of society, had suddenly left their homes 
and families, and had made great sacrifices to obey the call of their 
country, under General Smyth's invitation. He possessed their 
strongest confidence, and was gaining their warmest affections ; he 
could lead to no post of danger to which they would not follow. 
But now, the hopes of his government, the expectations of the peo- 
ple, the desires of the army, were all prostrated, and he was obliged 
to hear the bitter reproaches and the indignant epithets of the men 
whom he had promised to lead to honor, to glory, to renown. The 
inhabitants refused to give him quarters in their houses, or to pro- 
tect him from the. rage of those who considered themselves the 
victims of his imbecility or his deceit. He was obliged constantly 
to shift his tent to avoid the general clamor, and to double the guard 
surroundin"' it ; and he was several times fired at when he ventured 
without it. An application was made to him by the volunteers, to 
permit them to invade the enemy's territory under General Porter, 
and they pledged themselves to him to take Fort Erie if he would 
give them four pieces of flying artillery. This solicitation was 
evaded, and the volunteer troops proceeded to their homes, execrat- 
ing the man whom they had respected, and the general on whose 
talents and whose promises they had placed the most generous reli- 
ance. 

In his defence of this disgraceful affair, General Smyth indulged 
in the assertion " that the volunteers and the neighboring people were 
dissatisfied, and that it had been in the power of the contracting 
a°ent [General Porter] to excite, some clamor against the course 
pursued, as he found the contract a losing one, and would wish to see 
the army in Canada that he might not be bound to supply it. 



688 



PETER B. PORTER. 



This unwarrantable assertion drew forth some recrimination from 
Genera] Porter, which eventuated in a duel ; but the affair was after- 
wards amicably settled. 

At Chippewa General Porter commanded the New York and 
Pennsylvania volunteers, with some Indians as part of General 
Scott's brigade. In the afternoon, he left the American camp, 
advanced through the woods and came upon the British scouting 
parties in such a position as to place them between his own fire and 
that of the American main army. Soon after he encountered the 
whole British column drawn up in order of battle. Here he behaved 
with great gallantry until reinforced ; and received the personal com- 
pliments of the commander-in-chief, Genera] Brown. 

General Brown thus mentions his services in the action at Nia- 
gara : — 

" It was with great pleasure I saw the good order and intrepidity 
of General Porter's volunteers from the moment of their arrival, but 
during the last charge of the enemy, those qualities were conspicuous. 
Stimulated by their gallant leader, they precipitated themselves upon 
the enemy's line, and made all the prisoners which were taken at this 
point of the action." 

After the battle General Porter marched with the army to Fort 
Erie, where his volunteers, together with the riflemen, occupied the 
centre. He was present at the memorable defence of that place, 
and by his conduct won the following notice from General Gaines : — 

" Brigadier-General Porter, commanding the New York and Penn- 
sylvania volunteers, manifested a degree of vigilance and judgnlent 
in his preparatory arrangements, as well as military skill and courage 
in action, which proves him to be worthy the confidence of his country 
and the hrave volunteers who fought under him." 

For his bravery on the Niagara frontier General Porter was 
presented by Congress with a gold medal, together with the thanks 
of that body. After the war he was again elected to Congress, and 
received during his terms marks of esteem from several public bodies. 
He acted as secretary of war under President Adams, and on the 
change of administration retired to private life. After a long season 
of domestic tranquillity, he died at Niagara, N. Y., [March 20th, 
1844,] at the age of seventy-one. 






BRIGADIER GENERAL NATHAN TOWSON. 

ENERAL TOWSON is a native of Maryland. He was 
born in the vicinity of Baltimore, January 22d, 1784, and 
is the youngest of twelve children. He early improved 
the limited means of knowledge within his reach, and 
before the age of sixteen had become distinguished among 
his acquaintances for his habits of study. In 1801, he went to 
Kentucky, and soon after to Louisiana. The unsettled condition of 
our relations with France, rendered that territory a subject of dispute ; 
and various volunteer companies were formed to defend it should 
actual hostilities occur. One of these young Towson joined as an 
artillerist. Soon after, he was appointed commander of the Natchez 
volunteer artillery. He then returned home, where he remained 
until the outrage on the Chesapeake, when he received the appoint- 
ment of adjutant of the 7th Maryland militia regiment. 

On the 15th of March, 1812, he entered the regular army as 

44 689 



690 



NATHAN TOWSON. 



artillery captain ; and when war was declared he joined the second 
regiment of artillery, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Winfield 
Scott, with whom he proceeded to General Dearborn's army. 

Thence he was immediately ordered to Black Rock, to protect the 
vessels that were then fitting out for the lake service under the com- 
mand of Lieutenant Elliott of the navy. On the morning after the 
arrival of Scott with his artillery, at Black Rock, two of the ene- 
my's vessels came down the lake and anchored under the guns of 
Fort Erie. Lieutenant Elliott immediately formed a plan to capture 
them, and communicating it to General Smyth and Lieutenant-Colonel 
Scott, asked for the co-operation and assistance of the army. The 
two companies under Scott volunteered for this service, to a man : 
but as they were not all required, the number was filled by draft. 
The artillery furnished thirty men and two officers ; and as the rank 
of the two captains, Towson and Barker, had not been settled, they 
cast lots for the command, and fortune decided in favor of Towson. 
The expedition was fitted out in two boats ; the one under the com- 
mand of Lieutenant Elliott, who had with him Lieutenant Roach of 
the artillery, and Lieutenant Presstman, a young gentleman of Bal- 
timore, to command the infantry ; the other boat, under the command 
of Sailing-master Watts, had twenty sailors and twenty-eight artil- 
lerists under Towson. The plan was, to ascend the lake with muffled 
oars, drop down with the current, make a simultaneous attack upon 
the two brigs which lay under cover of the guns of the fort, and 
carry them by boarding. In ascending the lake, the boat which 
carried Towson got ahead, and lost sight of the other ; and was 
hailed and fired at by the Detroit, which lay highest up the lake. 
Sailing-master Watts, supposing that his pilot had not kept near 
enough to the shore, to make a successful attack upon the Caledonia, 
ordered him to pass that vessel ; but Towson, who differed with him 
in opinion, assumed command of the boat, and peremptorily ordered 
the pilot to lay her along-side of that vessel. This order was exe- 
cuted without opposition, and in a few seconds. In attempting to 
fasten the grapplings, all missed their aim but one ; and the boat 
necessarily fell astern, exposed to a severe and destructive fire from 
the cabin windows and deck of the brig. The boat, however, was 
hauled alongside, and in less than two minutes the brig was boarded 
and carried. The attention of the Detroit was so closely engaged 
by this enterprise, that the approach of Lieutenant Elliott in the 
rther boat was not observed ; so that he was enabled to carry that 
vessel without loss, and with but little difficulty. Both brigs were 
immediately got under way, and both unfortunately grounded in the 
Niagara river, within point-blank-shot of the Canada shore. Advan- 



HIS SERVICES AT FORT GEORGE. 



693 



tage was taken of this disaster by the enemy ; who, as soon as day 
dawned, brought up a few field-pieces, and opened a battery on the 
brigs. The sailing-master and pilot left the vessel, with the prisoners, 
about sunrise. Captain Tcvvson remained on board, took out the 
greater part of the cargo, (consisting of furs,) and succeeded in get- 
ting the brig afloat about sunset ; but not being versed in navigation, 
and all the sailors except two having deserted in landing the cargo, 
he ran aground a second time, near Squaw Island. In the night, 
Colonel Schuyler, who had just taken the command at Black Rock, 
received intelligence that General Brock had crossed the Niagara 
below, with a formidable force, and was marching to attack him. 
Lieutenant Elliott sent an officer with this information to Captain 
Towson, with combustibles, and an order to set fire to the brig. 
Towson would not permit this order to be executed, but believing 
his presence with his company necessary, in the event of an attack 
on shore, he left a faithful non-commissioned officer and two men on 
board, with orders to fire and abandon her, if it should appear that 
the enemy were likely to succeed in forcing the troops to retire to 
the main body at Flint Hill. This did not happen ; General Brock 
had not crossed the Niagara, as reported ; and thus, by the judicious 
management of Captain Towson, was the Caledonia reserved to 
make one of the gallant Perry's victorious fleet. 

After the battle of Queenstown, Captain Towson received com- 
mand of the artillery of Van Rensselaer's army, and soon went into 
winter quarters at Black Rock, where he remained until the opening 
of the campaign of 1813. He participated in the capture of Fort 
George, and at Stony Creek was the senior officer of artillery. He 
behaved in a manner that elicited commendations from the enemy 
themselves. Through some mistake he was ordered to cease firing. 
This enabled the British to approach very near him, as the action was 
fought on a dark night. A charge was made, his guns captured, 
together with seventeen men, and a few artillerists killed. Towson 
himself fell into the enemy's hands soon after, but managed to escape 
and subsequently recaptured two of his guns. 

After the return of the army to Forty Mile Creek, the enemy's 
fleet made its appearance on the morning of the 8th of June, from 
which a schooner was despatched for the purpose of destroying our 
boats, which lay at the mouth of the creek with the baggage of the 
army, about to be sent to Fort George. With a view to prevent the 
accomplishment of this object, Captains Towson and Archer were 
ordered, with four field-pieces, to the shore, with which they played 
their parts so well that the schooner was soon compelled to seek 
safety by a return to the fleet. The praise of this little affair was 



694 



NATHAN TOWSON. 



lost to Captain Towson by the official report : for Major-General 
Lewis, who was then in command of that part of the army, attri- 
buted the exploit to Captain Totten, of the engineers, who had 
nothing to do with the repulse of the schooner, and who was brevetted 
on that report. 

After this affair, Towson continued actively engaged in drilling 
his corps, until they received a discipline and importance equalled 
by none in the northern army. In the first battle of Niagara, [Sep- 
tember 5th, 1814,] he again conducted the operations of the artillery. 
The number of pieces was the same on both sides ; but those of the 
enemy were twenty-four pounders, and Towson's but six. At the 
commencement of the action the enemy's fire was active and destruc- 
tive ; but their battery was at length silenced, their ammunition 
wagon blown up, and their guns saved only by the exertions of their 
dragoons. At this time Towson could not see the enemy in conse- 
quence of an inflammation of the eyes ; but on their being pointed out 
to him by General Scott, he opened upon them an oblique fire of 
canister which materially contributed to their defeat. " This oblique 
attack of the artillery," says General Wilkinson, " and the perpen- 
dicular fire of the American line, was insupportable, and their valor- 
ous troops yielded the palm and retreated precipitately, leaving their 
killed and wounded on the field, but carrying off their artillery. 
Comparing small with great things, here, as at Minden, the fate of 
the day was settled by the artillery : and the American Towson may 
deservedly be ranked, with the British Phillips, Drummond and Foy." 

In this battle Towson's company suffered severely. Both his 
lieutenants were wounded, and out of thirty-six men, his total loss 
was twenty-seven. During the whole action he was exposed to the 
severest fire of the enemy, whose advantages, position and superiority 
of cannon, until the arrival of reinforcements, precluded all hope of 
silencing them, 

When the army retired to Fort Erie, Towson's company, number- 
ing but forty men, was stationed on the left flank of the encampment. 
On the morning of August 15lh, in conjunction with Major Wood, 
and two hundred and fifty infantry, he repulsed the right column of 
the enemy, consisting of fifteen hundred men, in several attempts to 
assault the works. Such was the vivacity of the fire from his battery 
that the enemy gave to it the name of light house ; and it was after- 
wards familiarly called by the American troops, " Towson's light 
house." 

After the close of the war, General Towson was assigned to the 
command of the troops in the harbor of Boston, and in 1816 mar- 
ried the daughter of Caleb Bingham, Esq., of that place. He was 



HIS SERVICES AS PAYMASTER GENERAL. 



695 



afterwards stationed at Newport, R. I., and in 1819 was appointed 
paymaster-general of the army. This is one of the largest disburs- 
ing departments of the government ; and for the last twenty years 
since General Towson has been at the head of it, near forty millions 
of dollars have been disbursed, all over the Union, without loss to 
the United States. 

In 1834, the president recommended that an additional brevet be 
conferred on such officers as had distinguished themselves in the 
late war, to date ten years after the war brevet, provided they had 
served faithfully during that time. The senate concurred in this, 
which entitled General Towson to rank as a brevet brigadier-general 
from the 15th of August, 1824, ten years after " the defence of 
Fort Erie." 

At the close of the war, the citizens of Buffalo presented General 
Towson an elegant sword, with inscriptions expressive of their ad- 
miration and gratitude for his services in defence of their frontier. 
This was the more complimentary, as he was the only officer who 
received such a mark of approbation ; and as those who presented 
the sword were eye-witnesses of the operations of the army on that 
frontier, and of the conduct of its officers. His native state (Mary- 
land) also presented him a sword, on which is inscribed the names 
of the actions in which he was most conspicuous. 

The Cincinnati of Maryland elected him an honorary member ; 
and Brown University of Rhode Island conferred on him the honorary 
degree of A. M. 

During the war with Mexico, General Towson has served as pay- 
master-general of the army. 





BRIGADIER GENERAL ROGER JONES. 




ENERAL JONES, the present adjutant-general of the 

United States army, is a native of Westmorland county, 

Virginia, and entered the army January 6th, 1809, as a 

lieutenant of marines. He remained as such until July 

6th, 1812, when he was appointed captain of artillery. 

In the following year he was actively engaged at the, taking of Fort 

George, [May 27th,] and in the battle of Stony Creek, [June 5th,] 

where, he was conspicuous on account of his bravery, and received a 

bayonet wound. On the 13th of August he. was transferred to the 

staff as assistant adjutant-general with the brevet of major. 

At the opening of the campaign of 1814, Major Jones belonged to 

General Brown's staff, and marched with that able officer to the 

frontier. He was present at the crossing of the Niagara, the taking 

of Fort Erie [July 3d,] and the battle of Chippewa, [July 5th]. For 

his distinguished services on the latter occasion, he was brevetted 

major in his own artillery corps. His conduct was marked with the 
696 



SERIES OF PROMOTIONS. 



697 



same bravery at the second battle of Niagara [July 25th], and 
received high commendation from the commander in chief. He par- 
ticipated in the battle of Fort Erie [August 15th]. He displayed 
great bravery in the sortie from the fort, and was rewarded by 
President Madison with the brevet rank of lieutenant-colonel. He 
performed the duties of adjutant-general 1o the army until its dis- 
bandment in May IS 15. When he parted from Major-General 
Brown, that officer presented him with a sword as a testimonial of 
his personal esteem. Just before the close of the war, Generals 
Brown, Scott and Porter, each addressed letters to the secretary 
of war, Mr. Monroe, warmly recommending Brevet Lieutenant- 
Colonel Jones for the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 24th infantry. 

The admirable discipline which Lieutenant-Colonel Jones intro- 
duced into his company, caused him to be retained its head until 
1818, when through the recommendation of Generals Brown, Scott, 
and others, he was appointed adjutant-general of the northern division 
with the brevet of colonel. At the reduction of the army in 1821, 
he was retained in his full lineal rank, and assigned to the 3d regi- 
ment of artillery. On the 7th of March, 1825, he was appointed 
adjutant-general of the whole army, with the rank of colonel. On 
February 17th, 1827, he became major of second artillery, in the 
regular line. March 1829, he was brevetted colonel, and June 17th, 
1832, brigadier-general. 

In October, 1844, General Jones, Lieutenant-Colonel Mason, and 
Governor Butler, Cherokee agent, received orders from the President 
to proceed to the Cherokee nation, in order to investigate and report 
upon the discontents and difficulties among that tribe. Jones drew 
up an able report, which eventuated in the formal pacification of the 
following year. 

As adjutant-general, General Jones' services were of great value 
during the Florida war, and other Indian outbreaks during the boun- 
dary troubles, and in all other periods menacing recourse to arms. 
But above all is the country largely indebted to him for his exertions 
during the Mexican war. The increase of the regular army to more 
than double its previous numbers ; the raising and equipping of some 
fifty thousand volunteers ; the legislation necessary to meet the 
change from peace to war, and to place the enlarged military estab- 
lishment upon the proper basis ; the voluminous orders and corre- 
spondences rendered indispensable by the movements of the armies, 
&c, have all been superintended by him. It will not therefore be 
considered hyperbolical to assert, that no small share of the efficiency 
of our armies is the result of the skilful administration of Adjutant- 
General Jones. 




MAJOR ISAAC ROACH. 



SAAC ROACH was born in the district of Southwark 
and county of Philadelphia, on the 24th of February, 
1786. His maternal ancestors were Irish. His paternal 
grandfather was born in Scotland, and emigrated to 
this country as early as 1740. 

His father, who was a native of Delaware, and a 
seaman by occupation, immediately on the commence- 
ment of hostilities between the colonies and Great 
Britain, entered the naval service of his country, and continued in it 
as first lieutenant of the navy of Pennsylvania until the war of inde- 
pendence was over. 

Lieutenant. Roach commanded the armed vessel or gun-boat Con- 
gress, and was actively engaged all the war in the naval defence of 
the Delaware river and bay. He was also an officer in the actior 

698 




PROCEEDS TO THE CANADA FRONTIER. 



699 



between the Hyder Ali and the British ship General Monk. The 
brig which Lieutenant Roach commanded was captured by the 
enemy. He succeeded however in retaking- her, and in the attempt 
was dangerously wounded. He held commissions successively under 
Washington, Adams. Jefferson, and Madison, and, with the exception 
of a few years after the peace, was in active service till his death," 
in 1817. 

The example of such a parentage was not without its influence on 
the conduct of his son. Taught from earliest infancy to believe that 
next to what is due to a bountiful Providence, the main duty is that 
of the citizen to the state, the child of a revolutionary sire could find 
no sacrifice so great, no privation so severe as to deter him from the 
full discharge of this, his chief obligation. 

Before the declaration of war by the United States, in 1812, and 
in that interval of doubt when no one was able to discern the issue 
of peaceful negotiation for the redress of injury, or the atonement 
of insult — when our neutral commerce was destroyed, and our 
national flag degraded by European belligerents — when our gov- 
ernment was pausing on the question whether it should submit, 
or attempt desperately to redress its wrongs, and when the public 
mind was not quite prepared for the last resort, the gallant and 
chivalric youth, Isaac Roach, Jr., immediately after the attack of 
the Leopard on the Chesapeake, with some of his friends, organ- 
ized a corps of volunteer artillery, and joined the regiment then 
commanded by Captain Connelly, and afterwards by Colonel John 
Goodman of Philadelphia. It was in this company, under the com- 
mand of the present General Prevost, that Roach and his gallant 
and lamented associate, M'Donough, commenced their military life. 

Anxious, however, for a participation in more active duty, imme- 
diately on the declaration of war, our young volunteer applied for a 
commission in the regular service, and obtained the appointment of 
second lieutenant in the second regiment of United States artillery,, 
under the command of Colonel Winfield Scott. In July, 1812, he 
joined the regiment, then forming on the east bank of the Schuylkill, 
and was appointed adjutant. 

; ARLY in September, 1812, Colonel Scott applied 
for, and obtained orders to proceed to the Canada 
frontier, with the companies of Captain Towson 
and Captain J. N. Barker, and on the 5th of Octo- 
ber, this little band, to which Lieutenant Roach 
was attached, amounting all told to one hundred 
and sixty men, arrived at Buffalo. Never, perhaps, 
did young soldiers commence a career more darkly shadowed with 




700 



ISAAC ROACH. 



gloom. Hull's surrender at Detroit was fresh in the public mind, 
and the prospect of our military character being redeemed was 
brightened only by reliance on the gallantry of the new troops and 
new officers who were then taking the field. 

The first, and one of the most brilliant actions that occurred on 
•he Niagara frontier took place soon after the arrival of the Phila- 
delphia troops at Buffalo. We noticed it in our sketch of General 
Towson ; but must now show the part taken in it by Adjutant Roach. 
Henry Clay, in his speech on the new army bill, in 1813, speaking 
of the exploit we are now about to describe, said that, " whether 
placed to maritime or land account, for judgment, skill and courage, 
it had never been surpassed." 

Fort Erie was at this time in the undisturbed possession of the 
British, and directly under its guns lay at. anchor two large vessels 
of war, the Detroit and the Caledonia, destined to cruise against any 
naval force that might be raised on the lake. Lieutenant Elliott of 
the United States navy, then commanding at Buffalo, conceived the 
design of cutting out and capturing these vessels, and as soon as the 
plan was known, young Roach, with the consent of his commanding 
officer, volunteered to join the expedition. His offer was gladly 
accepted, and it was determined that he should go in one of the 
attacking boats with Elliott, and be accompanied by fifty volunteer 
artillerymen from his own regiment. 

Every thing being in readiness, the boats manned, arms ready, the 
oars muffled, at about eight o'clock of the night of the 8th of October, 
the expedition hauled out from the creek below Buffalo. The boats 
were pushed silently up against the rapid current of the Niagara to 
the mouth of Buffalo creek. The plan was to row thence up into 
Lake Erie till they reached the opposite shore, above the fort, and 
thus advance to the attack from a quarter from which none would be 
expected. Here the expedition was joined by a detachment of the 
5th infantry, under Ensign Prestman. The tide on the bar being 
low, all hands were obliged to lighten, and w^ading up to their 
shoulders in the lake pushed the boats over. Having fairly got into 
the lake, the boats were rowed several miles up along the American 
shore before a crossing was made. The expectation was that the 
vessels would be taken by surprise, but the light which was burning 
in the caboose of the Detroit, whilst it enabled the assailants to steer 
directly to their object, showed them they had a vigilant adversary 
to contend with. When within half a mile of the brig, orders were 
given to the men to be silent, and to reserve their fire till they should 
board. The helm was taken by Adjutant Roach, and orders given 
to have the grapplings ready the moment the boat was laid alongside. 



CAPTURE OF THE DETROIT AND CALEDONIA. 



703 



As the boats approached within musket range they were hailed from 
the brig, and no answer being given, were received with a heavy but 
ill-directed fire of musketry. — Roach laid the boat directly alongside 
the brig, head to tide, and after grappling her securely, with Lieu- 
tenant Elliott, and followed by his gallant crew, sprang upon the 
enemy's quarter-deck. A fierce but short personal conflict gave the 
assailants complete possession of the brig. The attack by Towson 
and his comrades on the Caledonia, though accidentally less pro- 
pitious in the onset, owing to a mistake in steering the boat, was 
equally successful, and thus the two armed British brigs were com- 
pletely captured. 

NTIL this lime the British garrison did 



not seem to realize the danger of their 
friends. No sooner, however, was the 
first movement made to get under way 
than a heavy cannonade was opened on the brigs, 
which the American victors were wholly unable 
to return with any effect. The first guns fired 
at the enemy on that frontier were those fired by 
Roach and his comrades from the Detroit. It 
may be mentioned incidentally, that the first shot 
fired from the British lines during the war, 
owing to its elevation, passed over the Detroit, at which it was aimed, 
and killed a gallant officer on the. American shore, (Major Cuyler, 
of the New York militia.) The wind becoming lighter, the brig's 
crew, instead of being able to get out into the lake and out of gun- 
shot, were obliged to sheer over to the opposite shore, all the. time 
within the range of the guns from the fort, and in attempting to get 
into harbor both vessels grounded on the bar. Rather than that the 
enemy should have the satisfaction of destroying the prizes, for 
which they were known to be making active preparations, orders 
were given by the commanding general to burn one or both in case 
they could not be set afloat. The Detroit was accordingly destroyed. 
The Caledonia being a lighter vessel was saved, and was subse- 
quently added to the fleet of the gallant Perry. 

The attempt to " cut out" an enemy where the attacking party 
are compelled to climb up the perpendicular sides of vessels of war, 
from small boats, and opposed at every step by men as desperate as 
themselves, is a daring enterprise, and Captain Marryatt says, " it 
is considered, in the British navy, the most desperate of all ser- 




The annals of the war present no more brilliant incident than that 
which has just been described. A mere handful of raw recruits, not 



704 



ISAAC ROACH. 



one of whom had ever faced an enemy, ov been in battle, within 
three days after their arrival near a scene of action, volunteering 
and succeeding in an enterprise of an almost desperate character in 
itself, and against veteran soldiers, was a brilliant affair indeed. The 
intelligence of it produced a great sensation, and the happiest effect 
among the troops then beginning to concentrate on the Niagara, and 
it redounded to the honor of all who were engaged in it, and of no 
one more than our young soldier. 

This brilliant victory was scarcely achieved before Lieutenant 
Roach was engaged in active and perilous service as a volunteer in 
another quarter. It being contemplated by the commanding general, 
Van Rensselaer, at Lewistown, to attack the British posts at Queens- 
town, Colonel Scott determined to march his corps and transport his 
artillery to that point. The condition of the roads being such as to 
delay, if not entirely prevent, the transportation of ordnance from 
Buffalo, Lieutenant Roach proposed to have it carried clown the 
river as far as navigable in boats. The suggestion was readily 
adopted, and by his exertions, and under his supervision, carried into 
effect. 

The second regiment of artillery arrived at Lewistown about two 
hours before the troops embarked for the attack on Queenstown 
Heights. It was the plan of General Van Rensselaer that but few 
of the regular troops should cross, and that the attack should be 
made altogether by the militia. Colonel Scott's regiment was there- 
fore ordered to remain on the American shore, and to cover with 
their artillery the crossing of the boats. The attack was made with 
great spirit and success, and a desperate conflict ensued on the 
heights above the town. The British commander-in-chief, General 
Brock, and his aid, Major Macdonald, were killed, and the fortune 
of war was for a long time with our gallant troops. The names of 
Fenwick and Van Rensselaer will always be associated with this 
brilliant exploit. Within a short time after the attack commenced, 
and while Roach and his commanding officer were directing the artil- 
lery on the American shore, a message was received from General 
Van Rensselaer that he had occasion for an officer of artillery. Roach 
immediately volunteered, and dismounting, threw himself into the 
boat that was waiting, and was in a few moments on British soil, and 
in the thickest of the fight, which was by this time raging with 
renewed fury, in consequence of the enemy having been reinforced 
by new troops, composed of regulars and Indians, from Fort George 
and the neighborhood. In the midst of the action, Lieutenant Roach 
was severely wounded by a rifle ball, fired from an adjacent thicket. 
His uniform and plume made him a conspicuous object for the hid- 



BATTLE OF QUEEN STOWN HEIGHTS. 



707 



den savages. The surgeons being unable to attend to the wounded 
on the field, they were removed to the American shore, where due 
attention was paid to them. The exposure incident to this affair, 
and his wound, brought on a severe fever, which reduced Lieutenant 
Roach to the brink of the grave, and seriously impaired his consti 
tution. His inability to attend to duty, and the suspension of active 
operations on the lines for the season, induced him to apply for orders 
for Philadelphia, at that time the head-quarters of his regiment, 
Colonel Scott having been taken prisoner at Queenstown. This 
request was immediately granted, and on the 26th of December, 

1812, he returned to his aged parents at Philadelphia, bringing 
them in the honors he had gained a full consolation for his wounds 
and sufferings. 

Almost immediately after his return, Roach was attached to the 
staff of General Izard, and accompanied that officer to New York, 
whither he was despatched to command the defences of that city 
and harbor. Finding this mode of life unsuited to his enterprising 
habits, he set out for Washington, and in person applied to the secre- 
tary at war for duty on the Canadian frontier. General Armstrong 
not only acceded to this wish, but tendered him a captain's commis- 
sion in the 23d infantry, which was promptly accepted, and in May, 

1813, Roach was again with the army on the lines. Our troops 
were then stationed at and in the neighborhood of Fort Niagara — 
the enemy across the river at Fort George. Soon after, it being 
determined to attack the enemy's position, Captain Roach, though 
an infantry officer, was selected by Colonel Scott to take charge of 
a small field-piece, and join the advance which was to make the 
assault. In carrying the fort, Captain Roach was again severely 
wounded in the right arm, this being the second time within twelve 
months, and each time when in the foremost rank of an attacking 
party. 

On the afternoon of June 23d, an order came to Fort George for 
a portion of the troops to join a party which was to march up the 
Niagara, under command of Colonel Boerstler. Captain Roach, 
though but partially convalescent, and scarcely able to draw his 
sword, joined the party, which during that night commenced its 
march. The disastrous events of the next day need not be detailed 
here. They are matter of history. After advancing to some dis- 
tance beyond Queenstown, the American troops were attacked by a 
large body of British and Indians. The gallantry and untiring reso- 
lution of all the subordinate officers displayed in a conflict which 
lasted from 9, a. m. to 12, m., with an overwhelming force, could not 
save this devoted corps from the effect of the incapacity of the com- 



708 



ISAAC ROACH. 



manding officer, who, after a late retreat had been commenced, sur- 
rendered to the enemy without a word of consultation with his 
officers. During the whole day, Roach's corps had been in action, 
and had succeeded in repelling the enemy at every point from which 
they had attempted an attack. The prisoners, after being plundered 
and otherwise maltreated by the Indian auxiliaries of the enemy, 
were taken to the British head-quarters, at Burlington Heights, and 
soon after, all except Roach were discharged on parole. He being 
unwilling to pledge his word not again to bear arms against the 
enemy, and thinking that a chance of escape might occur, remained 
a prisoner, and being put on board the fleet, was thence removed to 
Kingston, and finally to Montreal and Quebec — the impregnable 
fortress and key of Lower Canada. 

The narrative of Captain Roach's sufferings and escape from this 
celebrated fortress, is one of deep and most romantic interest. 

There are few fortified places in the world — none on this continent 
— more completely impregnable than Quebec. Situated at the inter- 
section of the rivers St. Charles and St. Lawrence, the heights of 
Cape Diamond, on which the citadel is placed, rise in imposing gran- 
deur directly from the edge of the water on the. east. The passage 
below the cliffs on all sides is very narrow, and on the side of the pre- 
cipitous hills, and within high parapets, is situated the upper town of 
Quebec. The visitor who, when on a tour of pleasure, for the first 
time views the sombre majesty of this scene, can best realize what 
must have been the feelings of Roach and his gallant, companions 
when they saw what they thought this spot of hopeless imprisonment. 
The chance of escape seemed inappreciably small ; upwards of four 
thousand troops composed the garrison, and so soon as the brief 
season of summer in these northern latitudes should pass away, they 
had to anticipate the horrors of a Canadian winter, during which all 
the comforts of domestic luxury are requisite to sustain physical 
existence. 

After enduring a variety of preliminary indignities which seemed to 
be the certain portion of our American captives, Roach and his com- 
panions, some of them of higher rank and greater age, were admitted 
to a partial parole, and on giving their word not. to violate the laws, 
or attempt an escape, were stationed at. Beauport, a small Canadian 
village, on the left bank of the St. Lawrence, about five miles below 
Quebec. The river St. Charles empties into the St. Lawrence, some 
distance above Beauport. The fellow prisoners of Captain Roach 
at Beauport, were Generals Winchester, Chandler, and Winder, 
Colonel Lewis, and the venerable Major Madison, of Kentucky, 
Major Vandeventer, of the army, and Lieutenant Sidney Smith, of 



IMPRISONED AT QUEBEC. 



709 



the United States Navy. Besides these there were several other 

officers, and a considerable body of rank and file, all prisoners of war. 

Some time prior to the month of October, IS 13, the privileges 

which the prisoners had previously enjoyed had been gradually 

restricted ; some of the officers had been removed to Halifax, and in 

consequence of an offer having been made by General Scott to the 

governor of Lower Canada, Sir George Prevost, to exchange an 

officer of high rank for Captain Roach, he was more vigilantly 

watched, and considered as one whom it was most desirable to control. 

On the 23d of October, 1813, whilst the mess of paroled prisoners 

were seated at tab'e, the house was surrounded by a body of cavalry, 

whose commanding officer informed the inmates that he had an order 

for the close confinement of twenty-three commissioned and as many 

non-commissioned officers, as hostages. Captain Roach was third 

on the list ; his friends, Vandeventer and Sidney Smith, were to share 

his prison. In his own mind his course was soon determined on, and 

the British major was informed by Roach that from that moment the 

obligation of the parole was at an end, and that as a prisoner he 

should have a prisoner's privilege of being at liberty to try to escape. 

Acting with this design, Roach availed himself of a few moments 

private conversation with his venerable friend, Major Madison, who 

was not on the list of hostages, and who was therefore to remain at 

Beauport, to arrange a plan of confidential correspondence — so that, 

by means of apparently casual and innocent phrases, secret meaning 

might be conveyed. 

The prison house to which the captives were transferred, was a 
strong stone building, used as the common jail, on the south side of 
the city, between the St. Johns and St. Louis gate. It was built 
on a rocky declivity, being three stories high on one side, and five 
on the other. No sooner were the prisoners immured in this place 
than they began to plan some mode of escape. After much consul- 
tation it was determined that the attempt should be made by letting 
themselves down from the roof, next to which their chamber was, to 
the street, by strips of carpet tied together. Roach was to direct 
the immediate escape from the fortress, and Major Vandeventer 
command afterwards. If a boat could be secured, and the passage 
of the river (then full of floating ice) made, they were to take what 
is called Craig's Road, through the township settlements, and gain 
the wilderness which lies near the Canada and Maine boundaries. 

The peculiar peril of this enterprise is scarcely conceivable. 
Besides the risk of discovery, and the personal danger in escaping 
from such a height, a strong guard was quartered about one hundred 
yards on the left of the house, and five sentinels, with loaded muskets, 



710 



ISAAC KOACli. 




were in and around the prison. The gates of the city were closely- 
guarded, and the bridge across the St. Charles river was closed by 
a gate which was never opened after night. The passage of the 
river, at any time hazardous, was peculiarly so at this season of 
commencing winter ; and even if escape were practicable through 
the Canadian settlements, the chance of perishing in the wilderness 
was very great. Still these discouragements, backed as they were 
by the remonstrances of their friends at Beauport, who secretly 
wrote to implore them not to attempt an escape, were insufficient to 
deter our gallant countrymen. A letter, written as agreed upon, was 
sent, however, by Captain Roach to Major Madison, and carried by 
a British officer, who little suspected its contents, requesting him to 
procure a boat to cross the river, and a guide to lead the party through 
the settlements. The night of Saturday, November 27th, was fixed 
for the attempt. 

RELIMINARY arrangements were soon made; each 
of the three had his haversack filled with provisons, a 
letter was written to the mayor of the city, exonerat- 
ing the guard and all other British subjects from any 
knowledge or participation in the scheme, aud the 
carpet which had been used in their room, and Which 
had been taken up on pretence of having it cleaned, was ripped and 
tied into knots, to be used for the descent. The iron grating at the 
windows had already been removed by watch-spring saws. As soon 
as the officer had gone his rounds for the night the conspirators were 
at work, and watching the time when the back of the sentry was 
turned, one end of the carpet was lashed to a rafter, and the other 
let down to the street. No sooner was this done, than Roach swung 
himself down, and was immediately followed by his two companions. 
All reached the ground safely but Major Vandeventer, who after 
sliding down a considerable distance, and thinking himself near the 
ground, relinquished his hold of the carpet, and fell. He received 
a severe bruise and sprain, which subsequently added not a little 
to the troubles and difficulties of the party. No sooner had they 
reached the ground and remained long enough hidden behind a corner 
of the wall to allow the sentinel to pass, whose faculties were no 
doubt somewhat benumbed by the cold, which was in painful contrast 
with the Spanish climate he had been so long enjoying, than they 
made the best of their way through the streets to the St. John's gate. 
As they approached they walked leisurely by the sentry, who after a 
challenge, supposing them to be people of the town, allowed them to 
go by without molestation. After passing the several gates, they at 
last crossed the bridge over the ditch, and then, for the first time did 



ESCAPE FROM PRISON. 711 

they breathe freely, or dare to flatter themselves with the hope of 
success. 

The road to Beauport was frozen and rough, and Major Vande- 
venter's lameness retarded the party considerably. No time was to 
be lost, and Captain Roach pushed on in advance to ascertain how 
they could best cross the river St. Charles. On approaching the 
bridge he found the gate fastened and the keeper apparently asleep. 
It at once suggested itself that if they could pass unobserved, it 
might tend to defeat the pursuit of which they would soon be the 
objects. On examining the gateway it was found that the only mode 
of escape was by climbing outside at a considerable distance above 
the water and at great risk. This was at last accomplished, and 
soon after they crossed the river the fugitives heard the drums beat- 
ing to arms, and the bells ringing in Quebec, their escape having 
been discovered. A party of cavalry was despatched in the direction 
of Beauport, and on arriving at the St. Charles bridge, and after 
arousing the gate-keeper, being told that no one had, or could have 
passed, they returned to the city — so effectual was the stratagem of 
the fugitives. 

On arriving at Beauport they found their friends prepared, though 
scarcely daring to expect their arrival. A guide had been procured, 
and a boat to cross the St. Lawrence. No time was to be lost, as 
the passage must be made under cover of darkness, and in a short 
time our three daring soldiers were afloat on the St. Lawrence, here 
nearly four miles wide, and filled with floating ice. After narrowly 
escaping several boats filled with armed men, who had been des- 
patched in pursuit, they reached the south bank of the river ; the 
snow was then fast falling, and not only was their guide unwilling to 
proceed farther, but Major Vandeventer's lameness had so much 
increased, as to compel them to remain quiet for a few hours. They 
accordingly scooped themselves out a place of repose in the snow, 
and lying close to each other, slept soundly till daylight. They 
then resumed their march, and having narrowly escaped different 
parties of regulars and militia who were in pursuit, succeeded in 
crossing the Chaudiere, and gaining the road to the settlements. 
Following this route, through a great variety of perils, and at much 
risk, suffering from the excessive cold, and being but inadequately 
protected from the weather, they hoped to reach the wilderness that 
lies between the British and American settlements, and then defy 
pursuit. In the excitement of the escape from their prison, they 
seemed to lose sight of the imminent danger of perishing from cold 
and privation in the almost trackless wilderness which they were so 
anxious to reach. Providence however, ordained it otherwise. On the 



712 



ISAAC ROACH. 



fourth day after leaving Quebec, they reached the house of a Cana- 
dian named Charledeauluce, the last habitation north of the wilder- 
ness. Here they were obliged to remain all night, in consequence 
of the increasing illness of one of the party, Lieutenant Smith, who 
had been severely frost-bitten the first night after crossing the 
St. Lawrence, and the difficulty of obtaining an Indian guide to con- 
duct them farther. Whilst engaged negotiating with their host for 
such assistance on the following day, the house was surrounded by 
a large body of Canadian militia, sent in pursuit, and our gallant 
adventurers, after all their sufferings and dangers, were obliged to 
surrender, and with the best grace they could assume, submit to 
their hard fate. 

Such was the issue of this most gallant and romantic adventure, 
projected by Captain Roach, and executed by the energy and resolu- 
tion of himself and his companions. To escape from the walls of 
an impregnable citadel, and to elude a garrison of four thousand of 
Wellington's veteran troops — to cross a river like the St. Lawrence, 
filled with floating ice, in a leaky and crazy canoe — to penetrate for 
seventy miles, in the dead of a Canadian winter, through a country 
filled with exasperated pursuers — to endure all the hardships of such 
an attempt under such circumstances — required an amount of daring 
and heroic endurance which deserved complete success. 

Their return to Quebec was the signal for new privations and 
indignities. The British authorities, incensed at even the partial 
success of this attempt to escape, and stung to madness by the 
reflection that three Americans had eluded all their vigilance, and 
defied all their care, could find no restraint too severe for their 
prisoners. All the Americans were closely immured, and even the 
poor comforts they had before enjoyed were now denied them. The 
access of all friendly visitors was cut off, and their fate seemed 
destined to be made darker and darker still. Such treatment instead 
of disheartening our young soldiers, seemed to give a new impulse 
to exertion and adventure. A new scheme of escape was projected 
and agreed on by Roach and Vandeventer, and some measures taken 
to carry it into execution, when an order came from Sir George Pre-, 
vost to release the three hostages on parole. 

The rest of this dreary winter was passed within the walls of 
Quebec, and it was not until the following December (1814) that an 
exchange of prisoners took place, and Captain Roach and his com- 
panions returned home. 

Roach immediately joined his old commander, now Major-General 
Scott, and was preparing again to take the field, with the rank of 
assistant adjutant-general, when the news of peace arrived. On 



APPOINTED TREASURER OF THE U. S. MINT. 



713 



both the reductions of the army Captain Roach was retained, and 
continued in active duty, commanding at Fort McHenry, Fort Co- 
lumbus and Fort Mifflin, until 1823, when having attained the rank 
of major, he resigned his commission and returned to private life. 

In October, 1838, Major Roach was elected Mayor of Philadel- 
phia by the Common Council of that city, and filled that office one 
year. He was noted for unremitting attention to the duties of his 
office, promptness and firmness in discharge of duty, and strict 
enforcement of the laws against immorality and disorder. In Sep- 
tember, 184 1, he was appointed by President Tyler treasurer of the 
United States Mint, an office whose duties he faithfully discharged 
until April, 1847. Since this time he has remained in private life. 




United States Mint, Philadelphia. 




MAJOR GENERAL JACOB BROWN. 




sylvania. 



'HE ancestors of General Brown emigrated from Eng- 
land with William Penn, in the first, settlement of the 
colony of Pennsylvania, and for successive generations, 
have been respectable members of the society of 
Friends. The general was born in Bucks county, Penn- 
He received a plain country education, taught a country 
school in his early years, according to report, and acquired a know- 
ledge of surveying, the practice of which art led him to emigrate, at 
the age of twenty-three, to the state of New York, where he became 
acquainted with an agent who had the direction of a large landed 
concern in the vicinity of the waters of Lake Ontario. With this 
man he contracted for a tract of several thousand acres of land not 
far from Sackett's Harbor, andbegan its settlement in 1799. Here 
he resided in the laudable pursuits of agricultural improvement, be- 
loved and respected. In 1808, he was elected a member of the 
714 



BROWN APPOINTED BRIGADIER GENERAL. 715 

New York Agricultural and Philosophical Society. His acceptance 
in 1809 of a colonelcy (the first military office he ever held) in the 
New York militia, proclaimed him no longer a member of that reli- 
gious fraternity to which his family had been for ages attached. In 
consequence of the rage of party spirit, the appointments made by 
the New York Council of Appointment, particularly in times of 
peace, are governed often more by the consideration of political 
influence of the person to be commissioned, than by his capacity to 
discharge the duties annexed to the station they design him to fill. 
Considerations of this nature, no doubt, induced Colonel Brown's 
promotion to the rank of brigadier-general, in 181 1, as he was not 
led to this important station by'gradalion or singular military ser- 
vices. Practices of this kind, while they reflect no dishonor on 
persons thus appointed, deserve the highest censure, because while 
the elevation is not derived from conspicuous talents, it tramples on 
the rights of seniority in commission. 

It is thus accounted for, that at the commencement of hostilities 
on the part of the United States against Great Britain, an important 
frontier of the state of New York was found under the military 
command of General Jacob Brown. Of the first detachment of New 
York militia, called into actual service of the United States, one 
brigade was committed to his charge. That the subsequent develop- 
ment of General Brown's military character cannot be ascribed to 
the wisdom and foresight of that body to whom he owed his com- 
mission, the preceding observations will amply warrant ; hence it is 
but fair to infer, that his subsequent military career is ascribable 
chiefly to his prowess and talents, perhaps not unaided with execu- 
tive favor. 

The general's first command embraced the whole line of frontier 
from Oswegro to St. Regis, a distance of more than three hundred 
miles. Within this line was included the important post of Sack- 
ett's Harbor, the security of which being essential to the success of 
ulterior operations, constituted the first object of his attention. 
Having fortified this in the best manner his time and scanty means 
would allow, he reconnoitered in person the shores of the St. Law- 
rence, and provided as far as practicable for the defence of the 
country. His transportation, a short time afterwards, of a party of 
four hundred men from Sackett's Harbor to Ogdensburgh, manifested 
firmness of purpose and intrepidity of spirit. The roads were im- 
passable for baggage and artillery, and the enemy was in undisputed 
possession of the lake and river. On the subject of a passage by 
water, there existed but one opinion ; an attempt at it was con- 
sidered as fraught with destruction. The general, however, having 



716 



JACOB BROWN. 




Defence of Ogdensburgh. 



been ordered to proceed, was bent on obedience. He accordingly 
embarked with his troops in the best flotilla he could provide for the 
purpose, and, determined to fight his way through whatever might 
oppose him, arrived in safety at his place of destination. 

While stationed at Ogdensburgh, he so galled and harassed the 
enemy, in their navigation of the St. Lawrence, that, impatient of 
further annoyance, they fitted out a formidable expedition for his 
capture or destruction. The number of men they despatched on 
this enterprise was upwards of eight hundred, commanded by some 
of their best officers, and provided with everything deemed neces- 
sary to ensure success. The American force opposed to them was 
less than four hundred. Notwithstanding this vast numerical differ- 
ence, General Brown forced the enemy to retreat precipitately, with 
considerable loss in boats and men, not one of his party having 
received even a wound. No further attempts were made to dislodge 
him during the continuance at that post. 

His term of service having soon afterwards expired, the general 
returned to his family at Brownville, and resumed his agricultural 



ATTACK ON SACKETTS HARBOR. 717 

pursuits. In the spring of 1813, General Brown again took the 
field, and once more was intrusted with the defence of Sackett's 
Harbor, then menaced by a serious attack from the enemy. 

All the regular troops, except about four hundred, who, from their 
recent arrival on the spot, were but little better than fresh recruits, had 
been removed from the harbor to co-operate in the meditated reduction 
of Fort George. The furniture of the cannon having been carried off to 
complete the outfit for the same service, the batteries were nearly in a 
dismantled state. Nor could any efficient aid be derived from the co- 
operation of the fleet, inasmuch as that, with the exception of two 
small schooners, all was employed in the expedition up the lake. In 
fact, considering its exposed situation, and the vital importance of the 
post, Sackett's Harbor had been, to the astonishment of all military 
men, left in a most unprotected and perilous condition. To aid in its 
defence, General Brown embodied, with all practicable promptitude, 
a few hundred militia from the adjacent district, who had scarcely 
arrived when the enemy made his appearance. The general's situa- 
tion was critical in itself, and to the heart of a soldier trying in the 
extreme. It was his duty to meet the fire, perhaps the bayonets of 
veterans, with a handful of raw undisciplined troops, many of them 
but a few days from the bosom of their families, their domestic feel- 
ings still awake — and their habits of civil life perfectly unbroken, 
none of whom having ever before faced an enemy in the field. But 
his own activity, valor and skill, aided by the determined bravery of 
Lieutenant-Colonel Backus, of the regular army, supplied all defi- 
ciencies. Arrangements were made to receive the enemy with a 
warm and galling fire at his place of landing, and to contest the 
ground with him in his advance towards the fort. 

The regiment of United States troops were stationed in the rear, 
while General Brown, at the head of his new levies, occupied in 
person the first post of danger. On the second fire the militia broke 
and fled in disorder, but were rallied again by the exertions of their 
commander. — During the remainder of the conflict, which was warm 
and continued some time with varying success, the presence of the 
general was everywhere felt ; applauding the brave, encouraging the 
timid, and rallying the flying, till his efforts were ultimately crowned 
with victory. In consequence of the firm front presented by the 
regulars, and the judicious disposition of a body of militia threat- 
ening his rear, the enemy, without accomplishing his object, was 
compelled to relinquish the contest, and retreat in great haste, and 
in some disorder, to his place of embarkation. 

General Brown, returning once more to private life, was offered the 
command of a regiment in the regular army. This offer he unhesi- 



718 



JACOB BROWN. 




Defence of Sackett's Harbor. 



tatingly declined. The acceptance of it would have placed him 
below officers whom he might then command, and, as the regiment 
was yet to be raised, a considerable time must have elapsed before 
he could possibly have taken the field. In plain terms, he felt him- 
self entitled to a higher rank. Nor was it long till the government 
appointed him a brigadier-general in the army of the United States. 

The first service in which General Brown was ensao-ed under his 
new appointment, was the superintendence and direction of the 
arrangements for transporting from Sackett's Harbor, down the St. 
Lawrence, the army command by General Wilkinson, in the autumn 
of the year 1813, in the abortive expedition for the reduction of 
Montreal. For the completion of these arrangements from the time 
of their commencement, only three weeks were allowed. 

In the expedition down the St. Lawrence, and during the course of 
the winter that succeeded, the duties and services in which General 
Brown was engaged were of the utmost importance to the operations 
and well-being of the army, and in all of them he acquitted himself 
with distinguished reputation. 

In the winter of 18 13—14, the enemy having gained possession of 



ATTACK ON KINGSTON. 



721 



Fort Niagara, and being in considerable force on the opposite shore, 
a determination was formed to remove once more the seat of war to 
that frontier.* 



• General Armstrong was Secretary of War. — Possessed of the science and the spirit of 
the modern art of war, his mind was occupied more in the application of the enlarged plan 
of a system where large armies move than on the particular modes adapted to smalt armies 
and regions so extensive and unsettled : he possessed the ambition of great enterprise, but 
his mind appeared to confound the most opposite circumstances, and to suppose that the same 
principles would apply to every place and every kind of character ; the want of judgment 
which may be traced perhaps to an undervaluation of men in general, was most conspicuous 
in his unfortunate choice of men unfit to execute his designs, or his rejection of those who 
are most fit, or his desire to execute every thing himself. 

The greatest disasters arose out of these unfortunate circumstances. He had meditated a 
bold and important design — it was to attack Kingston, in Canada ; but his mode of opera- 
tion was circuitous — his means disproportionate — he was wholly unprovided with means of 
subsistence to support a successful enterprise — and unfortunate in the choice of a chief to 
conduct it. Perhaps history offers no example of a series of blunders so preposterous and 
ludicrous, and yet so unfortunate as to their issue and the bloodshed which followed without 
any other effect. 

With a view to the attack on Kingston, he determined that the officer who was to com- 
mand should not be himself apprised of the service until at the moment when he was 
ordered to execute it. For this purpose, he issued an order to Brigadier-general Jacob 
Brown, then commmanding at Sackett's Harbor, for an attack on Kingston with the force 
under his command, and, contemporaneously, a large body of New-York militia were ordered 
to join him ; to act as a reinforcement and to occupy the positions evacuated by the army 
carried into Canada. 

Enclosed in this letter officially addressed to the general, there was another; this letter 
was in the hand-writing of the war-minister, and in terms ordered the general with all his 
force, excepting only a small guard, to move upon Niagara by forced marches ; that the voice 
of the country exclaimed against its possession by the enemy ; and directed it to be taken at 
all hazards. He was advised that when he should reach the valley of Onondaga, about 
midway between Sackett's Harbor and Niagara, that he would here be joined by Colonel 
Gaines and a numerous additional force, and artillery and stores. 

The General, on perusing the order to go against Kingston and the enclosure directing his 
march upon Niagara, appears to have overlooked the use that was hinted rather than ordered 
to be made use of. The enclosure was in fact intended to be used as a deception on the 
enemy, and General Brown was expected to contrive some means by which this letter should 
be intercepted by the enemy ; who would thereby be induced to withdraw their forces from 
Kingston to reinforce Niagara and Fort George ; and thus prepare the way for the success of 
the masked design upon Kingston. Instead of obeying the orders which were regularly 
issued from the war department, General Brown, not conceiving the drift of the letter of 
General Armstrong, which was to have fallen intentionally into the hands of the enemy, 
determined to act upon it, regardless of the other. He consequently marched his troops to 
attack Niagara and Fort George. When he reached Onondaga Hollow he found no troops 
there as the letter had promised. He was surprised, and knew not what to do. Meeting, 
however, with Colonel Gaines shortly after, by mere accident, he informed Gaines of his 
situation and disappointment. General Brown exhibited his orders and letter to Gaines, who 
immediately perceiving the intentions of Armstrong, informed him that he ought to have 
acted upon his orders, to have contrived to have let the letter fall into the hands of the enemy. 
Upon this a despatch was sent on immediately to General Armstrong apprising him of the 
blunder. 

The minister of war, to save the character of a favorite officer of the cabinet, directed 
an immediate change of operations instead of what he had intended, and ordered that 
the pretended attack on Niagara and Fort George, instead of serving only as a ruse-de- 
guerre, should become the basis of military operations for that campaign. To this 
blunder of a general, and the complacency of a war-minister to screen his favorite, is 
ascribed the useless devastation and carnage which took place on the Niagara frontier, 
during that summer and autumn ; an event which will long be remembered by the inhabi- 
tants of its vicinity. 

46 



722 JACOB BROWN. 

General Brown, after his arrival upon the Niagara frontier, with 
the troops intended to act under his immediate command, having 
received information that the enemy was preparing an expedition 
from Kingston against Oswego, detached Colonel Mitchell with his 
battalion of artillery, armed with muskets, to the arduous and import- 
ant service of retrograding as expeditiously as possible to the defence 
of Oswego river, where was deposited an immense quantity of public 
property, together with the ordnance stores, and naval- equipments 
for the Ontario fleet at Sackett's Harbor. The colonel arrived at 
Oswego from Batavia, a distance of one hundred and fifty-one miles, 
in four and a half days march, and such was the order and regularity 
of this rapid movement, that the soldiers were not injured, nor any 
left behind. The fort of Oswego was found unoccupied, and only 
nominally a fortification. Time had destroyed every external defence. 

Indeed it was worth occupancy only on account of the barracks. 
The exertions preparatory for the expected attack were proportionate 
to the exigencies of the occasion. The guns, which had been con- 
sidered as unfit for service, were reproved, and with ihe batteries 
prepared for action. 

The British Ontario fleet, commanded by Sir James Lucas Yeo, 
having on board more than two thousand' regular troops, under the 
command of Lieutenant-General Drummond, arrived on the morning 
of the 5th of May, and anchored off the fort, within the effective 
range of the guns of the fleet. The attack commenced, and a 
constant fire was kept up during the day on the fort and batteries. 
A powerful flotilla attempted repeatedly to land the troops, but such 
was the destructive effect of the artillery from the batteries, under 
the direction of that excellent officer, Captain Boyle, that the enemy 
was repulsed with great loss of men and several of the boats. The 
policy of the commanding officer in pitching his tents on the left bank 
of the river, and his skilful manoeuvring of his troops on the right, 
had the desired effect to deceive the enemy with respect to his num- 
bers. The British troops were re-embarked, the fleet left its anchor- 
age, and the object of the expedition was apparently relinquished. 

The next morning the fleet returned, and, anchoring within half 
cannon shot of Captain Boyle's batteries, renewed and continued 
the cannonade with great vigor. Captain Boyle and Lieutenant 
Legate were not idle. Their batteries and skilful arrangements pro- 
tected their men, whilst the British ship the Wolf, suffered severely 
in men, masts, and rigging. She was repeatedly set on fire with hot 
shot. 

Colonel Mitchell knowing the fort to be untenable, and finding it 
impossible to prevent the landing of the enemy who was now approach- 



ATTACK ON FORT OSWEGO. 



725 



ing the shore at different points in great force, informed his officers 
of his determination to fight as long as the honor of our arms and 
the interest of his country should require it, and afterwards effect a 
retreat to the main depot at the Falls, the protection of which was 
the great object of his march. 

When the enemy, under the cover of the fleet, had landed and 
advanced on the plain, the firing from the shipping and gun boats 
ceased. Colonel Mitchell took this favorable opportunity to deploy 
his battalion from a ravine in rear of the fort, where he had been 
compelled to remain, to avoid the immense shower of grape from the 
whole fleet. He now, with Spartan bravery, advanced with two 
companies, under the direction of Captain Melvin and Lieutenant 
Ansart, (the latter commanding the excellent company of Captain 
Romayne, who was detached on important duty on the left bank of 
the river,) and attacked the enemy advancing to the fort, whilst Cap- 
tain Mclntire and Captain Pierce, gallantly engaged and beat off a 
vastly superior force of the enemy's light troops, who had been de- 
tached for the purpose of preventing a retreat. Captain Boyle kept 
up a deadly fire on the boats landing, and on the enemy advancing. 
The contest was as daring as it was unequal ; for the ground was 
maintained by the Americans against the main body of the enemy, 
until a party of them had carried Captain Boyle's batteries, and 
ascended the bastions of the fort in rear of his left flank. Colonel 
Mitchell says, in his report, that having done the enemy as much 
harm as was in his power, " he retreated in good order." The force 
of the enemy on shore was much more than two thousand soldiers 
and sailors, whilst the Americans did not exceed three hundred 
soldiers, and about thirty sailors under the gallant Lieutenant Pearce 
of the navy. 

The entire loss of the enemy, in his several attacks on Colonel 
Mitchell's position, was upwards of two hundred and eighty in killed 
and wounded, including among the latter several officers, while that 
of the Americans did not exceed fifty in number. 

The determined bravery displayed by our troops in the field, and 
on the retreat, merits the admiration and applause, not only of the 
army, but of the whole nation. Colonel Mitchell wore his full uni- 
form onthe day of action, and, while retreating, was particularly 
singled out by the British officers as a mark for the aim of their 
sharp shooters. The colonel, on his retreat, dismounted under a 
brisk and galling fire of musketry, and gave his horses to Captain 
Pierce, who was exhausted in consequence of ill health, and to a 
wounded sergeant, thereby saving them, by his bravery and humanity, 
from the bayonets of a mortified and exaperated foe. 



726 JACOB BROWN. 

Colonel Mitchell reported, in the warmest language, the gallant con- 
duct of his whole detachment. Those excellent officers, whose names 
have not been mentioned in this sketch, but who ought, from their 
heroism, to be made known to their country, were Adjutant Charles 
Macomb, Lieutenant Daniel Blaney, Lieutenant, William King, Lieu- 
tenant Robb, Lieutenant William McClintock,and Lieutenant Charles 
Newkirk. Lieutenant Blaney from Delaware, a young officer of 
high promise, and a favorite in the corps, was killed, gallantly fight- 
ing at the head of his platoon. He rests in a tomb of honor. 

The result of this affair was a victory to the Americans. In con- 
sequence of their obstinate resistance at the fort, persevered in for 
two entire days, the enemy relinquished the whole object of the 
expedition. Public property to the amount of more than a million 
of dollars was saved. 

This was the first affair in General Brown's brilliant campaign. It 
was the precursor of the glory afterwards achieved on the Niagara 
frontier, by those distinguished troops, who were ordered by the 
commanding general, when they " should come in contact with the 
enemy to bear in mind Oswego and Sandy Creek." 

The patriotic General Ellis, with his brigade, the militia of the 
neighborhood, and the Indian warriors of the Oneida and Onondaga 
nations, made expeditious marches to join Colonel Mitchell, and 
afford protection to the important depot he had been despatched to 
protect. The colonel was further reinforced by a detachment of 
riflemen, under the command of Major Appling, of the United States 
army. The enemy, although prepared with proper pilots and boats 
to ascend the river, made no further attempts to accomplish his im- 
portant object, which would have given him the undisputed superi- 
ority of the lake during the remainder of the war. The enemy, 
having raised a few navy guns, that were sunk by Captain Woolsey, 
burnt the barracks and robbed some of the inhabitants, with great 
precipitation, on the same night, abandoned the fort, and returned 
without a single laurel on his brow. 

Another expedition terminated in the plunder of private property 
at Sodus, and a complete defeat at the mouth of Genesee river by 
militia, under the command of that excellent officer, General Peter 
B. Porter. 

The commanding officer of the Canadas, being foiled in his 
attempts to capture the public stores on the Oswego river, now 
blockaded and threatened Sackett's Harbor, with the double view of 
making a diversion in favor of the British army on the Niagara fron- 
tier, and at the same time of retarding and intercepting all trans- 
portation by water. 



BATTLE OF SANDY CREEK. 



727 



In this situation, Sackett's Harbor was considered in danger. 
Colonel Mitchell was ordered to reinforce that post. He left Oswego 
Falls in command of Major Appling, with orders as soon as Captain 
Woolsey should he ready to sail, to embark his riflemen on board 
the flotilla, for its protection against the light boats of the enemy. 
Captain Woolsey, by his well-directed demonstrations and reports, 
having induced the enemy off Oswego to believe that all the guns 
and naval stores were to be sent up the Oneida lake, to be trans- 
ported to the harbor by land, soon found a favorable opportunity to 
run his boats with the heavy cannon, anchors and cables into Lake 
Ontario. Every exertion was made, and every precaution taken in 
this important and hazardous enterprise, to run by the blockading 
squadron in the night, into Sackett's Harbor. Captain Woolsey 
escaped discovery until he arrived near the mouth of Sandy Creek, 
twenty miles from Sackett's Harbor, when he was observed by a 
detachment of gun-boats, manned with upwards of two hundred 
choice sailors and marines from the fleet, under the command of 
Captain Popham, of the Royal Navy. Captain Woolsey wisely ran 
his boats, protected by riflemen, up Sandy Creek, as far as practi- 
cable, and gave information to General Gaines and Commodore 
Chauncey of his situation. The next morning, being the 30th of 
May, Captain Popham ascended Sandy Creek with his gun-boats, 
in the expectation that the rich and important prize in view, (viz. 
all the guns, cables and anchors for the ships Superior and Mohawk,) 
would be obtained without much danger or opposition. The marines 
were landed and put in order of battle. The gun-boats, forming a 
powerful battery, were placed in a situation to co-operate with them. 
At this moment Major Appling, who was in the woods near the place 
of landing, advanced and opened on them a fatal fire. It was re- 
turned by the enemy, but his artillery and musketry had no effect. 
The contest was short. The enemy, falling in every direction under 
the unerring aim of the American marksmen, soon surrendered. Our 
whole loss on the occasion was one killed and two wounded. The 
loss of the enemy was fifty-six killed and wounded, including officers. 

Two post-captains, four lieutenants of the navy, and a hundred 
and fifty-six sailors and marines were made prisoners. 

Four gun-boats, mounting one sixty-eight pound carronade, one 
long twenty-four pounder, one long twelve pounder, one five and a 
half inch cohorn, with Sir James Yeo's elegant gig, and a large 
quantity of ordnance stores, were the trophies of this important 
victory. 

The riflemen under the gallant. Major Appling were the only troops 
engaged. They did not exceed one hundred and twenty in officers 



728 



JACOB BROWN. 




and men. The Indian warriors and militia were not on the battle 
ground until after a proposal was made to surrender. 

Colonel Mitchell, who arrived with reinforcements immediately 
after the action, reported to General Gaines that " Major Appling 
planned and executed this brilliant affair, so honorable to our arms, 
so deserving of the applause of the nation, and so important as 
effecting the ulterior operations of the campaign." 

Major Appling was deservedly raised by brevet in quick succes- 
sion to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and colonel : he received, 
moreover, the thanks of the President of the United States, and the 
applause of the commanding general of the army, for this distin- 
guished achievement. 

HE preceding campaign being darkened by 
disasters, General Brown and his officers 
were fully sensible of the deep stake which 
both themselves and their country held on the 
issue of the present. 

The movements of the army were con- 
ducted with celerity, silence, and vigor. Gen- 
eral Brown had advanced on his march 
almost to Buffalo, before it was generally 
known that he had left his encampment at Sackett's Harbor. 

The first achievement of General Brown, on entering the enemy's 
territory, was the reduction of Fort Erie, the garrison of which 
surrendered with but little resistance. He then declared martial law, 
and made known his views in a proclamation. 

No sooner had the General made the necessary arrangements in 
relation to the occupancy and security of Fort Erie than he marched 
to attack the enemy, who lay intrenched in his works at Chippewa. 
On the morning of the 4th July, General Scott, with his brigade, 
and a corps of artillery, advanced. After some skirmishing with the 
enemy, he selected a judicious position for the night ; his right resting 
on the river, and a ravine in front ; at eleven at night, General Brown 
joined him with the reserve under General Ripley, arid a corps of 
artillery under Major Hindman — afield and battering train were also 
brought up ; General Porter arrived in the morning, with a part of 
the New York and Pennsylvania volunteers, and some of the warriors 
of the Six Nations. 

Early in the morning of the 5th, the enemy attacked the pickets ; 
by noon he showed himself on the left of the army, and attacked 
one of the pickets, as it was returning to camp. Captain Treat, who 
commanded the picket, retired, leaving a wounded man on the ground. 
Captain Biddle, of the artillery, promptly assumed the command of 



BATTLE OF CHIPPEWA. 729 

this picket, led it back to the wounded man, and brought him off the 
field. 

General Brown very improperly ordered Captain Treat to retire 
from the army, and ordered that his name and that of another officer 
should be struck from the roll of the army. 

Captain Treat demanded a court of inquiry ; it was not granted ; 
but a court-martial was ordered at Fort Erie. The left division of 
the army marched to Sackett's Harbor soon after, and the court was 
dissolved. 

Captain Treat immediately proceeded to Sackett's Harbor, by 
permission from Major-General Izard, and requested another court- 
martial. Major-General Brown, on the 5th of April, 1815, after the 
repeated solicitations of Captain Treat, issued an order, organizing 
a court, consisting of Colonel McFeely, President ; Lieutenant-Co- 
lonel Smith, Major Croker, Major Boyle, Major Mullany, Major 
Chane, Captain White, members ; Captain Seymour, supernume- 
rary ; Lieutenant Anderson, 13th regiment, Judge Advocate. 

The court met, and proceeded on the trial the 6th April, 1815, at 
Sackett's Harbor. They closed the investigation on the 8th of May, 
when Captain Treat was honorably acquitted. 

The sentence of the court was approved by Major-General Brown, 
and promulgated on the 28th of June, at Sackett's Harbor. 

At four o'clock in the afternoon, General Porter advanced with 
the volunteers and Indians, in order to induce the enemy to come 
forth. General Porter's command met the light parties of the enemy 
in the woods. The enemy was driven, and Porter pursued until near 
Chippewa, where he met their whole column in order of battle. The 
heavy firing induced a belief that the entire force of the enemy was 
in motion^ and prepared for action. General Scott was ordered to 
advance with his brigade and Towson's artillery. The general ad- 
vanced in the most prompt and officer-like manner, and in a few 
minutes was in close action with a superior force of the enemy. By 
this time General Porter's command had given way, and fled in dis- 
order, notwithstanding the great exertions of the general to rally 
them. This retreat left the left flank of General Scott's brigade, 
greatly exposed. Captain Harris was directed, with his dragoons, 
to stop the fugitives, behind the ravine, fronting the American camp. 
General Ripley, with the 21st regiment, which formed part of the 
reserve, passed to the left of the camp, under cover of the wood, to 
relieve General Scott, by falling on the enemy's right flank, but be- 
fore the 21st could come into its position, the line commanded by 
General Scott closed with the enemy. Major Jessup, commanding 
the left flank battalion, finding himself pressed in front and flank. 



730 



JACOB BROWN. 



and his men falling- fast around him, ordered his battalion to "sup- 
port arms and advance" — the order was promptly obeyed, amidst the 
most deadly and destructive fire. Having gained a better position, 
he poured on the enemy a fire so galling as caused him to retire. 
The enemy's entire line now tell back and continued to retreat until 
at the sloping ground descending toward Chippewa, when they broke 
and fled to their works. 

General Brown, finding the pursuit of the troops checked by the 
batteries of the enemy, ordered up his ordnance, in order to force 
the place by a direct attack, but was induced by the report of Major 
Wood and Captain Austin, who reconnoitered the enemy's works, 
the lateness of the hour, and the advice of his officers, to order the 
forces to retire to camp. The American troops, on no occasion, 
behaved with more gallantry than on the present. The British regu- 
lars suffered defeat from a number of men, principally volunteers 
and militia, inferior to the vanquished enemy in everything but cour- 
age ; and the gallant Brown, a woodsman, " a soldier of yesterday," 
put at defiance the military tactics of the experienced Major-Gene- 
ral Riall. 

On the 25th of July, General Brown's army was encamped above 
Chippewa, near the battle ground of the 5th. The brigade under 
General Scott moved past Chippewa, and halted at Bridgewater, in 
view of Niagara falls. At half past four, p. m., the battle was com- 
menced by the enemy. The enemy, being numerically superior to 
the Americans, he was able to extend his line so as to attempt to 
flank. In order to counteract the apparent view of General Riall, he 
was fought in detachments — he was charged in column. The ground 
was obstinately contested until nine o'clock in the evening, when 
General Brown decided to storm a battery, which the enemy had on 
a commanding eminence. Colonel Miller commanded on this enter- 
prise, which was so resolutely entered on, that ihe enemy, unable to 
withstand the charge, retired to the bottom of the hill, and abandoned 
his cannon. The enemy now gave way, and was pursued some dis- 
tance. The American army then betook itself to the securing of 
prisoners, and bringing off the wounded. 

While the army was thus employed, General Drummond arrived 
with a reinforcement to the enemy, when he, unexpectedly to the 
Americans, renewed the battle, with a view to recover his cannon. 
The army, having quickly formed, resisted the attack with courage; 
and, after a close engagement, the enemy was repulsed, as he was 
in two other similar attempts. The American army having effected 
the removal of nearly all the wounded, retired from the ground a 
little before midnight, and returned to camp. 



RESULTS OF THE BATTLE OF NIAGARA. 



733 



On the morning after the battle, which is culled the Battle of 
Niagara, the Americans, under Generals Ripley and Porter, recon- 
noitered the enemy, who did not show any disposition to renew the 
contest, and then burned the enemy's barracks and a bridge at 
Chippewa, after which, they returned to Fort Erie. 

HE enemy was believed to have lost 
between twelve hundred and thirteen 
hundred men, including Major-General 
Rial], who was wounded, and, with 
eighteen other officers and one hun- 
dred and fifty non-commissioned offi- 
cers and privates, taken prisoners. The 
Americans lost — killed, one hundred 
and seventy-one ; wounded, five hun- 
dred and seventy-two ; missing, one 
hundred and seventeen — total, eight 
hundred and sixty. 
The British force engaged, amounted by their 
own confession, to four thousand five hundred men, 
mostly or wholly regulars, beside a host of Indians ; 
the American force did not exceed two thousand 
eight hundred men, consisting in a great propor- 
tion of the militia of Pennsylvania and New York. 
General Brown received two wounds, but con- 
tinued to command until the action ended. The 
general was obliged, by the severity of his wounds, 
to retire from the command, which devolved on 
General Ripley. 

In the space of a few weeks, he was again at the head of his army, 
within the walls of Fort Erie. In the interim, the troops in that 
fortress had been much harassed and pressed by the enemy, now 
become superior in a still higher degree by reinforcements, and 
exasperated to madness by their late defeats. An assault of the 
works had been attempted, but was gallantly repelled by the Ameri- 
can forces then under the command of General Gaines. Not long 
afterwards, that officer received a serious wound from the bursting 
of a shell, which obliged him to retire, for a time, from service. 

Menaced in front by a powerful enemy, and having a river of diffi- 
cult passage in their rear, the troops of Fort Erie began to be con- 
sidered in a very perilous situation ; but while General Drummond was 
engraved in formidable arrangements intended for the destruction of 
the American forces, General Brown was still more actively employed 
in devising means for their safety and glory. 




734 JACOB BROWN. 

By the middle of September, the enemy had nearly completed a 
line of batteries to command the fort, which, when in full operation, 
would have rendered the position of the Americans at least unsafe, 
if not untenable. On the 17th of September, the day before the fire 
from the balteries was to commence, General Brown made a sortie, 
not in the form of a " night attack," of which a distinguished British 
officer had so bitterly complained, but in the face of day, drove the 
enemy from his strong hold with the loss of more than eight hundred 
men, spiked his cannon, and destroyed his works. 

Shortly after the destruction of his works, General Drummond 
retreated from before Fort Erie, and fell back on Fort George, leaving 
the American army in security and repose. The conflict in that quarter 
being now apparently at an end, General Brown was transferred from 
the Niagara frontier to the command of Sackett's Harbor. 

In some of the movements of his army on the Canada frontier, 
General Brown has been accused of betraying an ignorance of mili- 
tary affairs, ill-suited to his station, and an obstinacy of disposition 
which only yielded to those whom he conceived to be armed with 
executive favor and superior knowledge. 

Soon after the events which we have just narrated, an end was put 
to the war with Great Britain by the treaty of Ghent, 1815. General 
Brown remained on the peace establishment of the army, and was 
appointed to the northern military division. In 1821 he became 
commander-in-chief; from which time till his death, on the twenty- 
fourth of February, 1828, he resided at Washington city. The 
disease of which he died is said to have been in consequence of 
another wound contracted by him at Fort Erie, during the war, and 
from the effects of which he had never since been wholly exempted. 

" Genera] Brown," says a cotemporary, "possessed in an eminent 
degree the various qualifications requisite for being a successful 
military chief. To great personal bravery he united a moral courage, 
that on no emergency was found to waver ; and to an excellent 
judgment in determining the objects it was in his power to accom- 
plish with the means at his disposal, and skill in combining his 
measures, he added great firmness and decision of character, an 
untiring activity, and the faculty of gaining the respect and confi- 
dence of those with whom he had intercourse, and especially of all 
subjected to his authority. Nothing, in short, seems to have been 
wanting to give him a place in the foremost rank of military com- 
manders, excepting a longer period, and a wider field of action." 








MAJOR GENERAL ANDREW JACKSON. 

HIS gentleman was of Irish ancestry. His grandfather par- 
took of the fatigues and dangers of the army of King Wil- 
liam, at the siege of Carrickfergus, an eventful period in 
English and Irish history. His youngest son Andrew, with 
his wife and their two sons emigrated to South Carolina, in the year 
17G5, and purchased a farm forty-five miles from Camden, in the 
then Waxhaw settlement, where Major-General Andrew Jackson was 
born on the 15th of March, 1767. In early infancy he lost his 
father, in consequence of which his elder brothers received merely a 
common school education, because of the small patrimony; the 
youngest, Andrew, was placed at an academy at the Waxhaw meet- 
ing-house, under the care of a Mr. Humphries, where he received 
the rudiments of a liberal education, his mother designing him for the 
ministerial office. The revolution which ended in the emancipation 
of his country from British thraldom having begun, his studies were 
interrupted by the ravages of a ruthless enemy, who made an incur- 
sion into that quarter of his native state. Consequently, with his 

735 



736 ANDREW JACKSON. 

brother Robert, by his mother's permission, he joined the American 
army at fourteen years of age. His eldest brother had previously 
pursued the same course, and died of heat and fatigue at the battle 
of Stono. 

The superiority of the British, in numbers and discipline, eansed 
the Americans to retire into North Carolina, from which they returned 
to South Carolina in small parties, after they had learned of the 
crossing the Yadkin by the British, under Cornwallis. Lord Raw- 
don was then in possession of Camden, and had desolated the sur- 
rounding country. 

In the attack upon the Waxhaw settlers after their return, a party 
of the British under a Major Coffin captured the two young Jack- 
sons by a ruse-de-guerre. While prisoners, both were wounded 
severely with swords by two British officers, for refusing to perform 
menial services required of them. The wound of Andrew was in 
his left hand, that of his brother on his head, which terminated his 
existence shortly after their exchange, which took place a few days 
before the memorable battle of Camden. Worn down with grief and 
affliction, his mother expired shortly after, near Charleston, leaving 
Andrew an unprotected orphan then confined to a bed of sickness, 
which had nearly closed his sorrows and his woes. 

After his recovery he did not again join the army, but spent with- 
out restraint a part of his patrimony before reflection had warned 
him of the consequences. Finding, however, that his exertions alone 
were to waft him through the tumultuous sea of life, he returned to 
his studies at New Acquisition, near Hill's iron works, under a Mr. 
McCulloch. Here he completed his academic course as far as the 
place in which he lived and his limited means would permit. Having 
relinquished all thoughts of the clerical profession, in 1784, at the 
age of eighteen, he repaired to Salisbury, North Carolina, and studied 
law under Spruce McKay, Esq., and afterwards under Colonel John 
Stokes. In the winter of 1786, he was licensed to plead at the bar, 
and remained at Salisbury until 1788, when he accompanied Judge 
McNairy, to the state of Tennessee. Although it was his intention 
to have returned, he was so well pleased with the place, that, he 
determined to make Nashville his future residence. Here the road 
to preferment was open and plain, and his industry and application 
to business, soon paved the way for his future elevation. He was 
several years attorney for the district wherein he resided. The 
frontiers of Tennessee were much indebted to his energy and patriot- 
ism for defence against the remorseless depredations of the savages. 
When that section of the United States was about to be admitted a 
separate member of the federative body, in 1796, he was chosen a 



WA.R OF 1812. 737 

member of the convention for the formation of the state constitution. 
The same year he was elected one of the representatives in Con- 
gress from Tennessee, and in the following year, the legislature of 
that state appointed him one of their senators to the senate of the 
United States. This situation he resigned in 1799. He succeeded 
Major-General Conway in the command of the militia of that state, 
which formed but one division. He retained his commission of 
major-general of militia, until May, 1814, when he was appointed 
to the same rank in the army of the United States. Immediately 
after he resigned his seat in the senate of the United States, he was 
appointed to a seat on the bench of the supreme court of the state 
of Tennessee. This he likewise held but a short time, and retired 
to an elegant farm about ten miles from Nashville, on Cumberland 
river. 

p||p3§|^j| HE clouds which hovered over the political horizon of 
M[ ijjflwJ America for some years, at last burst furiously into a 
tornado, and war was declared by the American govern- 
ment against Great Britain on the 18th of June, 1812, 
in order to avenge itself of the manifold injuries heaped 
upon its citizens from a spirit of commercial jealousy, by the British 
crown, during its long, and unjustifiable contest with France. Jack- 
son's military talents had unfolded themselves in the various occa- 
sions when he had to inflict chastisement on the tawny sons of the 
forest for disturbing the repose of the frontier settlements. 

Congress having passed two laws in the year 1812, authorizing 
the President of the United States to accept the services of fifty 
thousand volunteers, General Jackson addressed the militia of his 
division on the subject, and twenty-five hundred with himself at their 
head, tendered their services to their country. 

This being accepted in November the same year, he was directed 
to descend the Mississippi with this force for the defence of the lower 
country, which appeared to be menaced. 

The troops accordingly rendezvoused at Nashville on the 10th of 
December, ready to proceed to the object of destination. The weather 
Was at that time severe, and the ground covered with snow. How- 
ever, they began to descend the Ohio on the 7th of January, and 
having reached the Mississippi, they descended to Natchez, where 
his orders directed him to halt and wait for further instructions. He 
encamped his troops on a healthy spot, two miles from Washington, 
Mississippi territory. Here he received an order from the war de- 
partment, dated January 5th, directing him to dismiss them in con- 
sequence of the cause ceasing which called forth their services in 
that quarter, and directing him to deliver over to General Wilkinson, 

47 



738 ANDREW JACKSON. 

the United States commanding officer in that section, all the public 
property in his possession. At this time he had one hundred and 
fifty men on his sick list, fifty-six of whom were confined to their 
beds. This, with the low state in which many were with regard 
to their finances, and the promise he had made their relations to act 
the father to them, determined him not to obey so impolitic and so 
unjust an order as that which had emanated from the secretary at 
war, the author of "The Newburgh Letters," so famed as 1 lie stick- 
ler for " soldiers' rights," of which determination he made the war 
department duly acquainted. 

An attempt was made at this time to enlist men from his corps for 
the regular army, which he totally prohibited, determining to carry 
with him such of the United States property as was necessary for 
the return of his forces to their original place of rendezvous prior to 
their discharge. 

His resolve to disobey his instructions from the war department 
respecting the discharge of his men at that distance from their homes, 
he communicated to his field officers whom he had convoked for the 
purpose ; and notwithstanding their assent, three of his colonels, 
Martin, Allcorn and Bradley, with some platoon officers, veiled with 
the mantle of night, retired into conclave, the result of whose 
deliberations was, a recommendation to him of an immediate dis- 
charge of his troops in compliance with his orders. This dupli- 
city of conduct he treated with the indignation he conceived it 
merited. 

'HEN once taken his resolution was as unalter- 
able as the laws of the Medes and Persians. 
Notwithstanding the remonstrative letter of 
General Wilkinson, General Jackson ordered 
the quartermaster to furnish the means neces- 
sary to convey the sick and baggage of his 
army back to Tennessee. Seeming to comply 
the quartermaster procured eleven wagons, 
but on the day allotted for the troops to commence their return march, 
he came forward and discharged them all, in order to defeat the 
general's intention, by which it was judged the regular army might 
procure a multitude of recruits. General Jackson, however, seized 
upon the wagons ere they left his encampment, and thus frustrated a 
design the quartermaster had in view; of which disappointment the 
latter informed General Wilkinson by express. 

Jackson arrived with his troops at Nashville, in May following, when 
he disbanded them according to order, with the exception of place, 
and advised the President of the United States of the course he had 




MASSACRE AT FORT MIMMS. 



741 



pursued and his reasons therefor. On the march he deprived him- 
self of the comforts allotted his rank, for the benefit of the sick. 

Their repose was but of short duration. The Creek Indians 
between the Chatahoochee and Tombigbee rivers began to manifest 
strong symptoms of a hostile conduct towards their white neighbors 
in the United States, and this was by no means allayed by the con- 
duct of the Northern tribes, who at the instigation of Great Britain, 
were preparing to " let slip the dogs of war" on the frontier settle- 
ments of the United States. 

At this time there appeared among the Shawanese an impostor 
calling himself " the Prophet," who, at the instigation of British 
agents, urged the various tribes to lift the tomahawk, and no longer 
smoke the calumet of peace. The brother of this villain, named 
Tecumseh, was sent to the Southern Indians to excite a like hostile 
temper. To effect these objects every artifice which duplicity and 
cunning could suggest was resorted to, and the success of these 
machinations was evidenced in the manifold cruelties exercised on 
those whom chance or the fortune of war threw into their way. On 
the decrepitude of old age or the imbecility of infancy, alike did the 
savages display their hellish refinements in torture and death. At 
first these intrigues were veiled in secrecy ; and the garb of deceit 
was first thrown aside at Fort Mimms on the 30th of August, when 
the savages having provided themselves with arms and ammunition 
from the Spaniards at Pensacola, slaughtered in the most cruel and 
ferocious manner nearly three hundred men, women and children, 
who had fled thither for safety, seventeen only escaping to bear the 
doleful tale to the United States. 

PEEDILY the news of the massacre at 
Fort Mimms electrified, as it were, the 
whole state of Tennessee to avenge their 
murdered brethren. The legislature of 
that state enacted a law authorizing the 
state executive to call into actual ser- 
vice three thousand five hundred militia, 
for the purpose of carrying devastation 
and the sword into the heart of the 
Creek country, and appropriated three 
hundred thousand dollars for their equipment and support. The 
Creeks were divided into two parties ; the war party prevailed, and 
the other had to look to the United States for protection. The war 
party had gathered a formidable body, and were directing their course 
towards the frontiers of Tennessee, when the governor of that statt 
issued his order to General Jackson to call out immediately two 




742 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



thousand militia, to rendezvous at Fayetteville. Jackson, at this 
time, was confined in consequence of a fractured arm received in a 
duel a short time before. 

Notwithstanding this, he with alacrity obeyed the call. He ordered 
Colonel Coffee with his cavalry, five hundred strong, and mounted 
riflemen, to proceed with all speed to Huntsville, in order to cover 
the frontier until the infantry could come up. A part of this latter 
force was composed of the volunteers who had descended the Mis- 
sissippi with Jackson the preceding season. The 4th of October was 
the time appointed for the assemblage. The general had not suffi- 
ciently recovered from his wound when the day for assemblage 
arrived. He consequently addressed them on the subject of the 
campaign through the medium of his aid, Major Reid. His first care 
was the establishment of strict and wholesome regulations in camp, 
which he caused to be rigidly observed. The greatest obstacles he 
encountered in this campaign proceeded from the contractor's depart- 
ment, the direction of which he was obliged to change more than 
once. 

HE friendly Creeks acted in unison, and served as spies 
in conveying information regarding the situation of the 
war party. The Ten Islands seemed to be their place 
of rendezvous, and to this place was the march of the 
army directed. They had reached almost to the Coosa 
river, and as yet the East Tennessee troops had not formed a junc- 
tion. On the march, the 28th October, twenty-nine prisoners of both 
sexes and all ages were brought into camp, from Littafuchee, (a town 
on the head of Canoe creek, which empties into the Coosa,) by a 
detachment of two hundred cavalry, under Colonel Dyer, despatched 
for the purpose. Failures of contracts continued to obstruct the 
march of the army. 

In the beginning of November, General Jackson learned from some 
prisoners and negroes brought in, that the enemy were posted in force 
at Tallushatchee, distant about thirteen miles on the south banks of 
the Coosa. General Coffee, with a body of nine hundred men, was 
sent to dislodge them. This service he completely effected, having 
killed one hundred and eighty-six, and taken eighty-four women and 
children prisoners, with the loss of five killed and forty-one wounded. 
His dead being buried, and his wounded taken care of, he joined the 
main army the same evening. 

Jackson took the necessary steps to create a depot at the Ten 
Islands, on the north side of the Coosa, supported by strong picketing 
and a chain of block-houses. He then designed to descend the 
Coosa to its confluence with the Tallapoosa, near which he was 




BATTLE OF TALLADEGA. 



745 



informed the savages were in force. The army exerted their strength 
in hastening the execution of the general's design, and the works 
were dignified with the name of " Fort Strother." On the 7th of 
December, in the evening, he was advised of a hostile force collected 
about thirty miles below, who meditated an attack on Talladega, in 
which the friendly Indians were shut up, momently expecting an 
assault. 

Notwithstanding the disappointment he experienced from the 
jealous conduct of General Cocke, who was of equal grade with 
himself, General Jackson moved his force judiciously to attack the 
enemy, in their then position, before they attempted an assault upon 
the friendly Creeks, or by a circuitous movement could steal upon 
his encampment at Fort Strother. Arrived in the vicinity of Talla- 
dega, every disposition of force was made to insure victory. The 
attack began. The savage foe was routed, and victory was com- 
plete. The force of the enemy was ten hundred and eighty, of whom 
two hundred and ninety-nine were left dead on the field of battle — 
many were killed in the flight, and few escaped unhurt. There were 
not less of them than six hundred put hors de combat, while the 
Americans lost only fifteen killed and eighty wounded, several of 
whom died afterwards. 

To detail the difficulties General Jackson had to encounter in pro- 
viding sustenance for his troops, in quelling mutinies, resulting from 
deprivations, and in surmounting difficulties, springing from the 
jealousies of rival officers, would too far exceed the limits of this 
work, which consequently confines the writer to a brief sketch of 
the more important transactions of his life. It is sufficient to men- 
tion that the conduct of General Cocke to weave for himself a dis- 
tinct chaplet for his own brow, was deleterious to the public service, 
and in a great degree marred the operations of General Jackson, 
who, if well seconded by his contractors and the troops under the 
general from East Tennessee, would have inflicted an early castiga- 
tion, greater by far than they experienced at Talladega, and have 
put a speedy termination to the Creek war. Thus would many 
valuable lives have been saved to families and to the state, which 
were immolated on the altar of a mean and jealous ambition. 
Wherever the general met the foe he was triumphant — his troops 
were brave, but they were neither just to their own fame nor to their 
country, for whose, sake patriotism cried aloud for the greatest sacri- 
fices. 

At the battle of Talladega, the Hillabees were the most distin- 
guished sufferers, shortly after which they sued for peace. General 
Jackson was disposed to comply with their wishes, provided the 



746 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



instigators of the war, the property and prisoners taken from the 
Americans and friendly Creeks, and the murderers of the citizens 
of the United States, at Fort Minims, were given up. On the morn- 
ing that Jackson's despatch was written to General Cocke, inform- 
ing of the proposition of the Hillabees, General White, acting under 
Cocke's orders, had attacked a Hillabee town, killed sixty, and made 
two hundred and fifty-six prisoners. This event procrastinated the 
Creek war; for not one of ihe remainder of the Hillabees were 
afterwards known to ask for quarter, but fought until death termi- 
nated their struggle. 

After encountering all the difficulties which resulted from the 
mutinous disposition of his otherwise brave and patriotic troops, who 
returned home, he, on the 2d of January following, received an ac- 
cession of eight hundred and fifty new troops, officered by men of 
their own choice. The difficulties respecting the command of these 
by General Coffee under Jackson being adjusted, the army, less than 
nine hundred strong, began its march from Fort Strother to Talla- 
dega, where were collected about two hundred friendly Cherokee 
and Creek Indians. These afforded an aggregate army of about 
one thousand men, badly armed and as badly equipped, with which 
Jackson was to invade the hostile Creek territory, that he might 
create a diversion in favor of General Floyd, who was advancing 
with the forces from Georgia. It was thought about, this time that 
the information was correct, that the warriors from fourteen towns, 
near Tallapoosa, were to unite their strength and attack Fort Arm- 
strong. Arriving at Talladega, General Jackson received advice 
from the commander of Fort Armstong that that post was menaced. 
ALLING on some trails on the 21st of Janu- 
ary, General Jackson discovered by his spies, 
that the enemy was not three miles distant. 
At the dawn of the 22d, the savages com- 
menced a furious attack on the American 
left, under Colonel Higgins, which bore the 
brunt of the action. In half an hour the In- 
dians were routed and chased two miles from 
the field of battle. The defeat was complete. 
The loss of the Americans was only five 
killed and twenty wounded. This was fought at an Indian town 
called Emuekfaw. Having returned from the pursuit of the routed 
enemy, General Jackson despatched General Coffee with four 
hundred men 1o destroy the Indian encampment, if not too strong. 
Having reconnoitered its position, he judiciously returned to the main 
body without making an attack. 




SECOND BATTLE OF E M U C K F A W. 



747 



In less than an hour after his return to camp, the savages com 
menced an attack, by way of feint, on Jackson's right, which gave 
Genera] Coffee the chance of fighting them in equal combat. The 
conflict lasted about one hour, with nearly the same loss, when, by 
means of a reinforcement from General Jackson, the Indians were 
defeated. General Coffee was severely wounded, but continued to 
fight while the battle lasted. In the mean time Jackson's whole 
force was attacked, which terminated in the overthrow of the savages. 
This was called the second battle of the Emuckfaw. 

Jackson prepared litters for his wounded, and commenced his 
return to the Ten Islands, taking every precaution to prevent the 
savages from attacking by surprise. The next day, (January 23d,) 
however, as he was crossing a creek at a place called Enotichopco, 
the savages began another battle, and the confusion that ensued by 
giving way of part of the American force, had nearly proved fatal to 
them. The savages were, however, by the resolute bravery of a part 
of the Americans, totally defeated. The whole American loss in the 
several conflicts fought during these two days, was twenty killed and 
seventy-five wounded. The loss of the Indians was more than two 
hundred who never returned from battle. 

General Jackson, having transported his camp equipage and pro- 
visions down the Coosa river, directed his volunteers and company 
of artillery to be marched home and honorably dismissed. 

On the 3d of February, the governor of Tennessee (Blount), issued 
his order for a detachment of two thousand five hundred militia of 
the second division, to rendezvous on the 28th of the same month, 
for three months service, in conformity to a law of Congress. Gene- 
ral Cocke brought, by requisition, about two thousand men from 
West Tennessee, badly armed, and at the same time pursued a highly 
dishonorable and disgraceful line of conduct, to produce the failure 
of the campaign. Jealous of another's fame, envy was the fiend that 
meanly lurked in his bosom. 

Colonel Williams arrived at camp with six hundred men badly 
armed. General Johnson with his brigade arrived on the 14th of 
February. General Doherty, from East Tennessee, had arrived, and 
Jackson found himself at the head of a raw and undisciplined army 
of five thousand men. To repress a spirit of mutiny, which exhibited 
itself in times of scarcity and inactivity, an example was become 
necessary. A private of the name of John Wood had manifested a 
mutinous disposition, was taken into custody, a court-martial wa« 
called, and he was sentenced to be shot. This was rigidly executed, 
and it produced the happiest consequences. 

The infamous conduct of General Cocke, in endeavoring to produce 



748 ANDREW JACKSON. 

the disaffection of General Doherty's brigade, in order to defeat the 
object of the campaign, induced General Jackson to issue orders to 
Doherty, to seize and send to Fort Strother, every officer, regardless 
of rank, who should be guilty of exciting mutiny in camp. 

Apprehensive of consequences, Cocke timely retired, and escaped 
punishment. 

Colonel Dyer was, about this time, despatched with six hundred 
men to the head of Black Warrior to disperse any Indians that might 
be in force in that quarter, and otherwise cut off their supplies of the 
army. After eight days march along the banks of the Cahawba, the 
detachment returned to camp. They had fallen in with a trail, but 
discovered no enemy. 

Having dismissed all invalids and troops badly equipped, General 
Jackson commenced his march for Fort Strother, on the 14th of 
March, and arrived on the 31st at the mouth of Cedar creek, on the 
site of Fort Williams. Here he left Brigadier-General Johnson, 
with an adequate force for the protection of the fort, and eight days 
provision ; and began his march on the 24th, for the Tallapoosa, by 
way of Emuckfaw, in order to dislodge the Indian encampment, near 
the Oakfusky villages, which had been surveyed and left unattacked 
by Genera] Coffee on the 22d of January, on account of its strong 
position. On the 27th, after fifty-two miles march, he arrived at 
the village of Tohopeka. Here the Indians were strongly posted 
at the Horse-Shoe, and it was necessary to dislodge them. The dis- 
lodgement was effected with great skill and bravery. This battle 
was the death blow to the hopes of the savage war-party. So bloody 
was the conflict, that only four savages surrendered prisoners, with 
three hundred women and children. Some few escaped, but they 
generally met death with a bravery becoming a better cause. Jack- 
son's loss was, including the friendly Indians, fifty-five killed and one 
hundred and forty-six wounded. Having accomplished the object of 
his march, he returned with his troops unmolested, to Fort Williams. 
He paraded his army on the 2d of April, and delivered them a most 
pertinent address on the destruction of the Tallapoosa confederacy. 

Learning that the savages had collected in force at Hoithlewalee, 
not far from a place called the Hickory Ground, he left his sick and 
wounded at the fort under command of Brigadier-General Johnson, 
and began his march with all his disposable troops on the 7th of 
April to attack the enemy at Hoithlewalee, and to effect a junction 
with the North Carolina troops under General Graham, and the 
Georgia troops under Colonel Milton, who were advancing on the 
south of the Tallapoosa. Owing to the rains, which occasioned a 
swell in the creeks, he did not reach the place of attack until the 



SURRENDER OF WEATIIERFORD. 



749 




Treaty of the Hickory Ground. 

enemy, being apprised of his approach, had fled, leaving him nothing 
but an empty village, which a part of his army who had passed the 
creek, destroyed. This was on the 13th, and on the next day he 
formed a junction with the Georgia troops. 

About this time, the head warriors of the tribes settled on the 
Hickory Ground, and sued for peace. The general required, as a 
proof of their sincerity, that they should remove and settle in the rear 
of the army and to the north of Fort Williams. In the mean time, 
detachments were sent out to scour the country in various directions. 
He then proceeded with the army to the site near the mouth of the 
Coosa, where Fort Jackson was to he built. Weatherford, the prin- 
cipal of actors in the massacre at Fort Mimms, presented himself 
voluntarily before General Jackson, as a supplicant for peace, and 
behaved with the dignity of a fallen hero, which would grace the 
character of a man in the most civilized ages of any nation or coun- 
try. Determined not to beouldone in magnanimity, Jackson suffered 
him to depart, leaving it optional with himself to make good his 
professions for peace, or collect the scattered remnant of his nation 
to prosecute the war. He at the same time informed him, that 
should he prefer the latter, if taken in arms, his life should pay the 
forfeit of his crimes. 

General Pinckney arrived on the 20th of April, and took upon 
himself the command. 



750 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



Having accomplished the object of the compaign by the total 
destruction of the confederacy and re-establishment of peace, Gene- 
rid Piuckney directed the return of the West Tennessee troops to 
their homes, and caused seven hundred and twenty-five men from 
General Doherty's brigade from East Tennessee, whose time of ser- 
vice had not nearly expired, to be detailed for garrisoning the line 
of forts. Four hundred men had been left to garrison Fort Williams. 
The country had been scoured for fugitive savages — Jackson pro- 
ceeded with the remainder of his troops on his march home, crossed 
Tennessee, river, reached Camp Blount near Fayetteville, and dis- 
charged his troops from further service. 

The dispersed war party had taken refuge within the Floridas, 
particularly at Pensacola. In consequence of the resignation of 
General Hampton, General Jackson received a commission from the 
H a r department, dated the 22d of May, constituting him a brigadier- 
general, and major-general by brevet in the regular army of the 
United States. General Harrison shortly after resigned, and Jackson 
was appointed a major-general, to supply the vacancy. He was directed 
by his government to open a treaty with the Indians, for which pur- 
pose he arrived at the Alabama with a small retinue, on the 10th of 
July, and on the 10th of August effected the execution of a treaty 
highly satisfactory to the United States. 

In consequence of a deviation from the strict laws of neutrality by 
the Spanish governor of West Florida, in the aid and succor he 
afforded the hostile Indians, General Jackson turned his attention 
towards Pensacola. Three hundred English troops had landed and 
were fortifying themselves at the mouth of the Appalachicola. They 
were also employed in instigating the savages to further acts of 
hostility. With this fact, the general became acquainted on his way 
to the Alabama; and despatched information of the fact to his 
government. On his arrival at Fort Jackson he used all diligence to 
make himself fully acquainted with the state of affairs with the 
Spaniards, English, and savages. On account of the perfidious con- 
duct of the governor of Pensacola, he opened a correspondence with 
that officer, who exposed the duplicity of his demeanor in the imbe- 
cility of his logic. Having disposed of affairs at Fort Jackson, he 
started next day for Mobile. In consequence of the storm which he 
was satisfied was gathering in that quarter, he lost no time in putting 
the country in as good a posture of defence as his limited means 
would admit. His whole disposable force of the United States 
troops consisted of the third and parts of the forty-fourth and thirty- 
ninth. The patriotism of the people of Tennessee was again to be 
tested. General Coffee was written to by Colonel Butler, to advance 



CONQUEST OF FLORIDA. 



751 




as speedily as possible with all the mounted troops he could collect. 
The colonel who had received the, request at Nashville, on the 9th 
of September, was to follow with all the volunteers he could procure, 
with the least possible delay. In fourteen days, Captains Baker and 
Butler arrived at Mobile with two companies of newly enlisted regu- 
lar troops; and the Tennessee troops commenced their march with 
alacrity and spirit. 

•HE arrival at Pensacola of Colonel Nicholls with a 
small British squadron, the attack on Fort Bowyer, at 
which the British were valiantly repulsed by one-tenth 
of their numbers, and their reception by Governor 
Marquinez, at Pensacola, after their repulse, deter- 
mined General Jackson to proceed against that capital. 

General Coffee arrived with his brigade, consisting of two thou- 
sand eight hundred, at the Cut-off, a place above Fort St. Stephens, 
and was visited in his encampment by Genera] Jackson on the 26th 
of October. One thousand of the brigade engaged as mounted men, 
on account of the difficulty of subsisting cavalry, without a murmur, 
dismounted, and left their horses behind, to serve as infantry. 

The British and Spaniards, divining the intentions of Jackson, 
made every disposition for the defence of Pensacola. The Ameri- 
can army, three, thousand strong, took up their line of march on 
the 2d of November, and encamped before it on the 6th. Deter- 
mined to dislodge the British from that post, he previously demanded 
of Governor Marquinez an explanation of his conduct. The flag 
bearing the demand was fired upon and the officer returned. The 
British flag, the day before the attack, waved on the ramparts in 
unison with the Spanish — the following day the Spanish waved alone 
to protect a foe of the United States under its dastardly banners. 
Subsequent communications took place; the governor lodged all his 
faults on the shoulders of his English friends. From the deceitful 
behavior of the Spaniards, no reliance was to be placed on their 
professions, and it became necessary to use force. The place was 
taken — the British driven away — the Spaniards humbled — the Bar- 
rancas forts, fourteen miles distant, commanding the harbor, blown 
up by the British. The blowing up of the Barrancas was a great 
mortification to the Spaniards, and at the same time defeated Gene- 
ral Jackson's object of retaining possession of the town and fortifi- 
cations, until the pleasure of his government should be made known, 
as he bottomed his conduct on the urgency of the case without await- 
ing their pleasure. The left column, in ibis attack, alone met with 
resistance. The Americans had twenty wounded and none killed. 
In consequence of the destruction of the Barrancas, General Jack- 



752 



ANDREW JACKSON. 




Fortifying of New Orleans. 



son relinquished the possession of Pensacola to Governor Marqninez, 
who immediately set about re-constructing the Barrancas. In this 
work the British commanding officer proffered assistance. Marqui- 
nez answered that when help was needed, he should apply to his 
friend General Jackson. 

In consequence of the result of this expedition, the Indians in 
Florida, finding themselves without British aid, fled to the Appala- 
chicola, and some fled on board the British shipping, and were after- 
wards put on shore to act for themselves. Major Blue of the 29th 
regiment was despatched to dislodge the Indians at Appalachicola, 
assisted by General Mcintosh with the Georgia troops then in the 
Creek country. Having effected this object, they were ordered to 
the defence of Mobile. 

General Winchester arrived at the Alabama, and Jackson delivered 
to him the command of that portion of territory on the 22d of 
November, and hastened to New Orleans, where he conceived his 
presence most necessary. 

In taking possession of the command of Louisiana he found some- 
what of a new theatre of action. The legislature of the territory 
had seconded the general's views in every measure of defence ; and 
prior to his relinquishment of the Mobile command, he had con- 
tinually corresponded with Governor Claiborne for that object. It 
was now become manifest, that some point on the Mississippi was 
the object of attack by the enemy, and more especially New Orleans. 



FORTIFYING NEW ORLEANS. 753 

Obstructions and defences were made as barriers to all the passes 
which led that way. Gun-boats were sent to Lake Borgne. Every 
defence was made when the British appeared off the coast, at Cat 
and Ship island, within a short distance from the American lines. On 
the 13th of December the enemy moved off in his barges towards 
Pass Christian. 

In the act of bringing off a small depot of public stores at the bay 
of St. Louis, the gun-boat Sea-Horse, Johnson commander, in a 
second attack from the enemy, was blown up by her crew, who with 
her commander retreated by land. 

On the 14th, the American gun-boat fleet, consisting of five vessels, 
one hundred and eighty-two men, and twenty-three guns, was attacked 
by a Britisli force of forty-three gun-boats, twelve hundred men, and 
forty-three guns. The Americans were vanquished with the loss of 
six killed and thirty-five wounded. The loss of the British was not 
less than three hundred. Notwithstanding the prowess of the Ameri- 
cans, they, from motives of humanity and unyielding necessity, 
• surrendered to a superior force. 

This unexpected blow marred in prospective all the views of 
Jackson. He apprised General Winchester of the unhappy disaster, 
the probable result, and gave his advice respecting measures to be 
pursued, in order to ward off the consequences. 

While his clouds of danger thickened, the sky of his reputation was 
brightening. He inspirited his troops, and the population generally. 
Expecting that the blow would be directed against New Orleans, he 
exerted every energy for the protection of that important post. 
Having reviewed and addressed the militia on the importance of the 
occasion, he despatched an express in quest of General Coffee, 
which reached him on the 17th of December, and that officer by the 
most persevering industry, encountering difficulties by disease and 
weather, arrived within fifteen miles of New Orleans on the 19th, a 
distance of one hundred and fifty miles. On the 20th, he halted within 
four miles of that city. The troops had braved the clangers of weather 
and climate in a march of more than eight hundred miles without 
murmur. Such is the fortitude of men, when engaged in support of 
the native dignity of their character. General Carroll was likewise 
advancing with a brigade for defensive operations, of which he 
advised General Jackson by his aid, Colonel Hynes. 

However feeble his force might be, he determined to meet the 
enemy on the threshold of their landing. The government of the 
United States were continually advised, both of his apprehensions 
and means of defence. Assistance poured in in some sections and 
disappointments in others, and chagrin often crowned his exertions. 

48 



754 



ANDREW JACKSON. 



The path the general had to tread was thorny in the extreme, 
assailed as he was, by the wiles of the enemy on one side, and dis- 
content from the disaffected on the other. 

The period arrived which tested the sternness of his character. 
Imbecility, fear, and treason, uniting against the direct path of patri- 
otism, he was constrained for the safety of the state, to proclaim 
martial law at New Orleans. The event showed the wisdom of the 
measure, to avoid deleterious results from the conflicting passions 
which then agitated the public mind. Smothering treason wherever 
it appeared, and concentrating every other feeling into one common 
reservoir to repel a common foe, Jackson was obliged to act, not 
according to law, but circumstances. General Carroll joined Coffee's 
encampment on the 21st of December, and reported himself accord- 
ingly. The Kentucky troops had not yet arrived ; and, notwith- 
standing the greatest vigilance, the British effected a landing within 
seven miles of New Orleans. The secretness of the embarkation was 
ascribed to the treachery of the naturalized Spanish fishermen who 
supplied that market with fish. Their debarkation was announced 
to the general after the capture of the guard at Bayo Bienvenue, on 
the 22d of December. A knowledge of this event threw the city 
into the greatest consternation. Signal guns were fired — expresses 
were forwarded — forces were concentrated, and every preparation 
adopted for defence. 

General Jackson advanced against him, determined to attack him 
in his first position. The attack was made in the night of the 23d 
of December, at half past seven o'clock. It was commenced by a 
fire from the schooner Caroline, which dropped down the river, in 
order to open on the rear of the camp. This was the signal for 
General Coffee to fall on the right, while General Jackson attacked 
the left near the river. It resulted honorably to the American arms ; 
and gave a decisive check to the enemy. The enemy's force amounted 
to about three thousand men ; that of General Jackson did not exceed 
fifteen hundred. The conflict lasted an hour, and was supported 
with great firmness. General Jackson remained on the field until 
four o'clock in the morning, when he took a new position two miles 
nearer the city ; having lost in this affair, twenty-four killed, one 
hundred and fifteen wounded, and seventy-four missing — total two 
hundred and thirteen. 

The enemy succeeded on the 27th, in blowing up the Caroline, 
(she being becalmed,) by means of hot shot, from a land battery, 
erected in the night. On the 28th, he advanced with his whole 
force, against General Jackson, in the hope of driving him from his 
position, and with this view opened a fire of bombs and rockets, at 



ACTION OF THE FIRST OF JANUARY. 



757 



the distance of about half a mile. The enemy was repulsed, with a 
loss of about one hundred and twenty men. The Americans lost 
seven killed and had eight wounded. 

On Sunday morning, the 1st of January, 1815, the enemy had 
advanced within six hundred yards of the American breastworks, 
under cover of night and a heavy fog, and had erected the preceding 
night, three different batteries, mounting in all fifteen guns, from 
sixes to thirty-twos. About eight o'clock, when the fog cleared off, 
they commenced a most tremendous fire upon the Americans, but it 
was amply returned by them, and a heavy cannonading was kept up, 
without the least interval on either side, except that occasioned by 
the explosion of a magazine in the rear of one of the American bat- 
teries, and another magazine in the night, owing to the enemy's 
Conarreve rockets. By four o'clock in the afternoon, the Americans 
had dismounted all the enemy's guns except two. They retreated, 
during the night, to their strong hold, about a mile and a quarter from 
the American camp. Twice did the enemy attempt to storm and 
carry the American batteries, but were as often deceived. On New- 
Year's day the loss of the Americans was eleven killed and twenty- 
three badly wounded. That of the enemy, from the accounts of two 
prisoners taken on that day, and three deserters afterwards, must 
have been much greater. 

i CCORDING as the woodsmen arrived to the aid of 
General Jackson's army, they were disposed of to 
the best advantage, for the purpose of defence ; 
but these forces not being of a very efficient 
nature, especially as the men could not be all pro- 
vided with the necessary arms, the general could 
not attempt any thing against an enemy, who was 
thus left to pursue, undisturbed, his laborious operations. 

During the days of the 6th and 7th, the enemy had been actively 
emp^yed in making preparations for an attack on Jackson's lines. 
With infinite labor they had succeeded on the night of the 7th in 
getting their boats across from the lake to the river, by widening 
and deepening the canal, on which they had effected their disem- 
barkation. 

General Jackson was on the leftside of the river, patiently waiting 
the attack. General Morgan, with the New Orleans contingent, the 
Louisiana militia, and a detachment of Kentucky troops, occupied an 
intrenched camp on the opposite side of the river, protected by strong 
batteries on the bank, superintended by Commodore Patterson.* 




A portion of the fortification of New Orleans was composed of bales of cotton. 



758 ANDREW JACKSON. 

On Sunday, the 8th, at half past six o'clock, a. m., the enemy 
hegan a very heavy cannonade upon the American lines, from his 
batteries of eighteen and twelve pounders, supported by the mus- 
ketry of two thousand five hundred men, who marched in close 
columns, and advanced nearer than musket-shot distance to the in- 
trenchments, armed with rockets, obuses and fascines, to storm the 
batteries : they directed their principal attack against the head of 
the line, flanked by the river, and upon the left resting upon the 
cypress swamp, as well as against the tirailleurs and riflemen, placed 
above the said swamp ; the roaring of the guns, and firing of the 
musketry lasted two hours and a quarter ; the enemy's mortars, 
although directed against the centre, did no harm to the troops ; the 
bursting of their bombs in their works had no effect. Two British 
officers and one French engineer, of the name of Rennie, who had 
gained the summit of the American parapet, were killed, or wounded 
and made prisoners ; (the engineer and one colonel were killed ;) after 
this affair, the field in front of the works was strewed with British 
wounded and killed. 

General Jackson thus briefly details the particulars of the attack : 

" In my encampment everything was ready for action ; when early 
on the morning of the 8th, the enemy, after throwing a shower of 
bombs and Congreve rockets, advanced their columns at my right 
and left, to storm my intrenchments. I cannot speak sufficiently in 
praise of the firmness and deliberation with which my whole line 
received their approach. More could not have been expected from 
veterans inured to war. For an hour the fire of small arms was as 
incessant and severe as can be imagined. The artillery, too, directed 
by officers who displayed equal skill and courage, did great execu- 
tion. Yet the columns of the enemy continued to advance with 
firmness which reflects upon them the greatest credit. Twice the 
column, which approached me on my left, were repulsed by the 
troops of General Carroll, those of General Coffee, and a division 
of the Kentucky militia, and twice they formed again, and renewed 
the assault. At length, however, cut to pieces, they fled in con- 
fusion from the field, leaving it covered with their dead and 
wounded.*' 

Simultaneously with the attack on General Jackson's lines, an 
attack was made on the works of General Morgan. Had the enemy 
been met with resolution in this attack, it must have produced his 
entire destruction ; but, unfortunately, the Kentucky reinforcements 
fled, drawing after them, hy their example, the remainder of the 
forces and leaving the batteries to the enemy ; not, however, until 
after the guns were spiked. While General Jackson was preparing 



BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS. 



759 




Battle of New Orleans. 

to dislodge the enemy from the captured battery, the British troops 
were withdrawn, and the post re-occupied by the Americans. 

The return of the killed, wounded, and prisoners, taken at the 
battle of Mac Prardies' plantation, on the left bank of the Mississippi, 
on the morning of the 8th January, 1815, and five miles below the 
city of New Orleans, consisted of — killed, seven hundred ; wounded, 
fourteen hundred ; prisoners, five hundred — total, two thousand six 
hundred. 

Among the slain was General Sir Edward Packenham, the chief, 
and General Gibbs, the third in command ; General Keane, the 
second in command, was severely wounded. General Lambert suc- 
ceeded to the command. 

His total loss in the different engagements was not less than five 
thousand six hundred. The loss to the Americans, on the 8th, on 
both sides of the river, was thirteen killed, thirty-nine wounded, and 
nineteen missing ; total killed, wounded, and missing, this day, 
seventy-one ; of this number there were but six killed, and seven 
wounded, in the action of the line. 

The enemy intended to pass Fort St. Philip in order to co-operate 
with the land forces in the attack at New Orleans. On the 9th 
January, at half past three, p. M., the enemy's bomb vessels opened 
their fire against the fort, from four sea mortars, two of them thirteen 
inches, and two of ten, at so great a distance, that the shot from the 
fort could not reach him. The enemy's fire continued with little 



760 ANDREW JACKSON. 

intermission, and with little interruption from the fort, during the 
10th, llth, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th. On the evening 
of the 17th, a heavy mortar was got in readiness and opened on the 
enemy, with great effect. At daylight on the 18th, the enemy retired 
after having thrown upwards of one thousand heavy shells, besides 
small shells from the howitzers, round shot and grape, which he 
discharged from boats, under cover of the night. Scarcely ten feet 
of the garrison remained untouched ; yet the loss of men was small, 
consisting of two killed, and seven wounded. This saving of men 
was owing to the great pains taken by the officers to keep their men 
under cover. 

All the enemy's movements after the action of the 8th of January, 
were calculated to secure his retreat, should such prove necessary, 
as appearances then indicated that it would. Their intention was, 
however, masked by a menacing attitude, as if preparing for a renewal 
of the attack on Jackson's line. They had erected batteries to cover 
their retreat, in advantageous positions, from their original encamp- 
ment to the Bayou, through which they entered Lake Borgne. The 
cannon placed on these batteries could have raked a pursuing army 
in every direction. The situation of the ground through which they 
retired, was protected by canals, redoubts, intrenchments and swamps, 
on the right, and the river on the left. 

After the action of the 8th, the artillery on both sides of the river 
was constantly employed in annoying the enemy. An attempt to 
storm his batteries would have produced great slaughter among the 
Americans, been doubtful of success, and might possibly have in- 
duced the enemy to delay his departure ; therefore General Jackson 
resolved to secure the advantage obtained with the least possible loss 
or hazard. 

All hope which the enemy had of reducing Fort St. Philip had 
vanished; and on the night of the 18th they precipitately decamped, 
and returned to their shipping, leaving behind them eighty of their 
wounded, fourteen pieces of heavy artillery, and an immense num- 
ber of ball, having destroyed much of their powder. 

Mr. Shields, purser in the navy, on the 16th and 17th of January, 
in letters to his friend, says : 

" The day after the gun-boats were taken, I was sent down under 
a flag of truce, to ascertain the fate of our officers and men, with 
power to negotiate an exchange, especially for the wounded. But 
the enemy would make no terms — they treated the flag with con- 
tempt, and myself and the surgeon, who was with me, as prisoners, 
until the 18th instant. He has now lowered his tone, and begs the 
exchange that we offered. Defeat has humbled the arrogance of the 



JACKSON S ADDRESS TO THE SOLDIERS. 



761 



enemy, who had promised his soldiers forty-eight hours tillage 

AND RAPINE IN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS ! !" 

The watchword and countersign of the enemy, on the morning of 
the 8th, was BEAUTY and BOOTY. Comment .is unnecessary on 
these significant allusions held out to a licentious soldiery. 

Thus ended, in disgrace and discomfiture to the enemy, an expedi- 
tion which occupied several months in its preparation, and was com- 
posed of at least ten thousand troops, drawn from almost every part 
of the world, where the British had garrisons or soldiers. Nothing 
was left undone to secure the occupation of an immense province, 
and the command of a river extending thousands of miles through 
the most fertile countries in the world ; and on which several of the 
United States depended as an outlet and market for their produce. 

From an official account, it appeared that the number of men 
under command of General Jackson, and actually engaged against 
the enemy, on the 8th January, amounted to four thousand six hun- 
dred and ninety-eight. The enemy's force, by his account, exceeded 
ten thousand. 

By an article in a Jamaica paper of the 3d December, it was stated 
that the expedition then prepared to go against the United States, 
under command of Sir Alexander Cochrane and Major-General 
Keane, (the same that afterwards entered the Mississippi,) consisted 
of one ship of eighty guns, five of seventy-four, three of fifty, one 
of forty-four, six of thirty-eight, two of thirty-six, three of thirty- 
two, three of sixteen, two of fourteen, and three of six guns — total, 
twenty-nine vessels, carrying one thousand and eighty-four guns ; be- 
sides a great number of cutters, transports, &c. 

On the 21st January, General Jackson directed an address to be 
publicly read at the head of each of the corps composing the lines 
near New Orleans. It must have been a difficult and delicate task 
to do justice to individuals where all acted so well, proving, in the 
general's words, " that a rampart of high-minded men is a better 
defence than the most regular fortification." 

This address contained the following emphatical paragraph. 

" Reasoning always from false principles, they (the enemy,) ex- 
pected little opposition from men whose officers even were not in 
uniform, who were ignorant of the rules of dress, and who had never 
been caned into discipline — fatal mistake ! a fire incessantly kept up, 
directed with calmness, and with unerring aim, strewed the field with 
the brave officers and men of the column which slowly advanced, 
according to the most approved rules of European tactics, and was 
cut down by the untutored courage of the American militia. Unable 
to sustain this galling and unceasing fire, some hundreds nearest the 




76'i ANDREW JACKSON. 

intrenchments called for quarter, which was granted — the rest, 
retreating, were rallied at some distance, but only to make them a 
surer mark for the grape and canister shot of our artillery, which, 
without exaggeration, mowed down whole ranks at every discharge ; 
and, at length, they precipitately retreated from the field." 

jEVERAL desperate characters, citizens of the 
United States, as well as foreigners, natives 
of different countries, had associated themselves 
into a band of pirates, under their chief Lafitte, 
and had taken up their residence in the island 
of Barrataria, near the mouth of the Mississippi. 
The government of the United States caused 
this unlawful establishment to be broken up. The expedition against 
the Barratarians, took possession of all the piratical vessels, their 
prizes, and a considerable quantity of arms and property, without 
opposition, on the I Gth of September, 1814. The vessels thus taken, 
consisted of six schooners and one felucca, cruisers and prizes of the 
pirates, one brig, a prize, and two armed schooners, both in line of 
battle with the armed vessels of the pirates. The establishment on 
shore, which was also taken possession of, consisted of about forty 
houses. The pirates had mounted on their vessels' twenty pieces of 
cannon, of different calibres, and their number consisted of between 
eight hundred and one thousand men, of all nations and colors. The 
expedition against the pirates vyas under command of Commodore 
Patterson of the navy, having on board a detachment of land troops, 
under command of Colonel Koss. 

The Barratarian pirates took part in the defence of New Orleans 
against the British, and were both active and serviceable. It was, 
also, satisfactorily ascertained, that they had, previous to their dis- 
persion, refused an alliance with the British, rejecting the most 
seducing terms of invitation. Induced by these considerations, and 
at the recommendation of the general assembly of the state of Lou- 
isiana, the president of the United States granted to such of them as 
aided in defence of New Orleans, a full pardon for all offences against 
the laws of the United States, committed previous to the 8th of 
January, 1815. 

Upon the approach of the enemy, a portion of the French popula- 
tion obtained from the resident French consul, certificates of French 
citizenship. The general allowed their validity ; but sent these alien 
exempts from military duty, under a military guard, one hundred 
and twenty miles from his camp and besieged city, to Baton Rouge, 
in the interior. 

A printer had misrepresented that General Jackson's order of 



ARREST OF GENERAL JACKSON. 



763 



removal applied indiscriminately to the whole French population. 
The French consul, Toussard, a second time, resisted the martial 
law, by claiming for his king, individuals of the city militia. He 
even erected a standard, and under pretext of the violations of the 
liberty of the French citizens, invited l hem to revolt. General Jack- 
son, considering further forbearance as criminally endangering the 
lives of even these mongrel citizens, and as calculated to betray the 
city to the enemy, arrested this consul ; but a judge (Hall) of the 
supreme court, issued a writ of habeas corpus to compel the enlarge- 
ment of the prisoner. The general, still determined to maintain Ins 
martial law, and thereby bind together this heterogeneous population 
to the defence of the city, ordered the judge into confinement, and 
to be removed without the lines of defence. Boldly indeed, and with 
an unyielding spirit, the general compelled and controlled the public 
safety. 

After the peace was officially known at New Orleans to have been 
ratified, and when the martial law had ceased to operate, General 
Jackson was cited to answer before the judge, whom he had arrested, 
to show cause why an attachment should not issue against the gene- 
ral for a contempt of the court in sundry particulars relating to the 
writ of habeas corpus. The general, disdaining to evade a requisi- 
tion of the law, submitted himself to the court, and by his counsel, 
offered to present to it his defence in writing, but which was contu- 
meliously rejected without being read. This trial, which precluded 
also a jury, was continued from day to day for several days, when 
on the last day General Jackson walked into the court-house with 
admirable composure, and exemplary respect for the high authority 
which called him thither. He approached the judge with a paper 
in his hand, having dispensed with the friendly offices of the profes- 
sional gentleman who had managed his case before. The judge in- 
formed the genera] that there were interrogatories to be pronounced 
to him to which he was desired to respond : the general replied that 
he would not answer them, saying, " Sir, my defence in this accu- 
sation has been offered, and you have denied its admission, you have 
refused me an opportunity of explaining my motives, and the neces- 
sity for the adoption of the martial law in repelling an invading foe," 
pointing out at the same moment his objections to that mode of pro- 
ceeding under which the inquiry was had, to know whether or not 
the attachment should issue. " I was then with these brave fellows 
in arms," (alluding to the surrounding crowd.) "You were not, sir." 
The judge went onto read his opinion. The general interrupted him 
with much apparent deliberation, saying, " Sir, state facts, and con- 
fine yourself to them. Since my defence is, and has been precluded, 



764 ANDREW JACKSON. 

let not censure constitute a part of this sought-for punishment." 
To which the judge replied — " It is with delicacy, general, that I 
speak of your name and character — I consider you the saviour of 
the country ; but for your contempt of authority, or that effect, you 
will pay a fine of one thousand dollars." Here the general inter- 
rupted, by filling a check for that sum, on the bank, and presenting 
it to the marshal, which was received in discharge. The general 
then retired, observing, on his passage to the door, " It will be my 
turn next." 

At the door he was received amid the acclamations of the exclaim- 
ing populace, with which the streets and avenues were filled. A 
coach waited at the door of the court-house, into which he was car- 
ried and seated, the shafts and handles of which were eagerly seized 
by the people. In this way he was precipitated through the streets, 
to the French coffee-house, among the shouts of Vive le General 
Jackson, and denouncing his prosecutors, thence to the American 
coffee-house, where the general addressed the crowd as follows : 

" Felloiv Citizens and Soldiers : — Behold your general, under whom 
but a few days ago you occupied the tented field, braving all the 
privations and dangers in repelling and defeating your country's 
exterior enemies, under the rules and discipline of the camp, so 
indispensable to the hope of victory ; rules which were predicated 
upon necessity, and which met the approbation of every patriot. 
Behold him now, bending under a specious pretext of redressing 
your country's civil authority, which, though wrought through pre- 
judice, he scorns to deny or oppose, but cheerfully submits to what 
is inflicted upon him, now that the difficulties under which we groaned 
are removed, and the discipline of the camp summons you no more 
to arms. It is the highest duty and pride of all good men to pay 
their tribute of respect to the guardian of our civil liberties. Remem- 
ber this last charge, as in a few days I expect to leave you , it may 
serve as a lesson to yourselves and posterity." 

Mr. Davezac gave the substance of the preceding remarks from 
the general in French ; after which the general was conducted to the 
coach, and drawn to his quarters in Fauxbourg Marigny, followed by 
the multitude, echoing, Vive le General Jackson. 

The fine was afterwards paid by a voluntary subscription of one 
dollar each, by one thousand citizens. 

Addresses, which seemed necessarily to comprise the mass of the 
city population of New Orleans, were presented to the general, not 
only approving, but extolling, in the most grateful language, his 
military conduct. Congress also passed, unanimously, resolutions 
of thanks to the general for the defence which he made, and an 



GENERAL JACKSON ELECTED PRESIDENT. 765 

emblematic gold medal, with devices of his splendid achievements, 
has been ordered to be presented to him. Addresses and resolutions 
of thanks from other and minor bodies from various parts of the 
Union, also evince the gratitude of this numerous people to the 
general, for liis almost unequalled victories. 

Peace having been promulgated, the militia were discharged. The 
general was relieved in his command by General Gaines, and returned 
to Nashville, welcomed by his fellow citizens with the greatest applause. 
When the army was reduced to a peace establishment, General 
Jackson was retained in the service, and appointed to command the 
southern military district. In the summer of 18 17, he was appointed 
a commissioner to treat with the Creek Indians respecting a purchase 
of land, which having effected, he returned to Nashville with his 
suite in the month of August. 

General Jackson's next public employment was the conduct of the 
war against the Seminole Indians, in 1818. With a force composed 
of Tennessee volunteers and Georgia militia, he penetrated into 
Florida to the retreats of the savages and fugitive slaves who had 
joined them, and set fire to their villages. He likewise took pos- 
session, without hesitation, of several of the Spanish posts in that 
region, whence the Indians had been supplied with arms and ammu- 
nition, and executed two Englishmen who had been actively engaged 
in this trade. The posts were restored by the orders of the govern- 
ment ; but an attempt in the house of representatives in Congress 
to inflict a censure upon General Jackson, for the irregularity of his 
proceedings, w ? as defeated, after very protracted debates, by a con- 
siderable majority. When Florida was transferred by Spain to the 
United States, he was appointed the first governor of the new terri- 
tory (in 1821). He resigned this office, and returned to his farm near 
Nashville, in the following year. In 1823, he was once more chosen to 
represent the state of Tennessee in the senate of the United States, but 
resigned his seat in that body on becoming a prominent candidate for 
the presidency. Of the electoral votes which were given in the end of 
the year 1821, he received ninety-nine, Mr. Adams eighty-four, Mr. 
Crawford forty-one, and Mr. Clay thirty-seven. The election de- 
volved, by the provisions of the constitution, on the members of the 
house of representatives in Congress, voting by states, and Mr. 
Adams was selected to be the president. In 1828, and again in 
1S32, General Jackson was chosen to fill that high office; in the 
former instance, by one hundred and seventy-eight of the electoral 
votes to eighty-three given in favor of Mr. Adams ; and, in the latter, 
by a majority of one hundred and seventy electoral votes above his 
opponent, Mr. Clay. 



766 ANDREW JACKSON. 

The session of Congress of 1829—30, which was the first after 
the induction of General Jackson into the presidential chair, was 
signalized by the passage of the bill for the removal of the Indians 
from the states on the eastern side of the Mississippi, to the territory 
assigned to them as their permanent abode beyond that river. — In 
July, 1832, the bill forthe recharter of the Bank of the United States, 
after passing both the senate and house of representatives of the 
United States, failed to become a law, through the application of the 
president's veto. This year was, however, especially remarkable for 
the attitude assumed by South Carolina in relation to the general 
government, to induce it. to retrace the steps which it had taken for 
the encouragement or protection of American manufactures. A con- 
vention of delegates, assembled at Columbia in that state, declared 
the acts of Congress imposing duties on commodities from abroad,* 
for any other purposes than that of revenue, to be unconstitutional, 
and of no binding force upon their constituents, — a measure which 
has received the name of nullification. The general government, 
on the one hand, prepared to maintain the authority of the laws of 
the Union by force, should this become necessary ; and, on the other, 
the people of South Carolina seemed to have made up their minds 
deliberately to resist, by every means in their power, any attempt 
that might be made to coerce them into submission. Everything 
indeed, portended the outbreak of a civil war, when tranquillity was 
restored, by the enactment by Congress in March, 1833, of the 
famous "compromise act," which gradually reduced the tariff of 
duties on imported commodities to a certain rate, at which it was 
intended they should afterwards be continued. — A bill for distributing 
the proceeds of the public lands among the states, passed the United 
States senate in January, and the house of representatives in March, 
1833, but did not receive the signature of the president. And it 
was in this year, that the measure was adopted of the removal of the 
government deposits from the Bank of the United States, already 
noticed in a previous part of the present article. The resolution of 
the senate, condemning the course pursued by the president, remained 
on the records of that body, notwithstanding the president's protest, 
until expunged by a resolution passed by it in January, 1837, a few 
weeks only before the termination of General Jackson's presidential 
career. — In 1834, a danger arose of a hostile collision between the 
United States and France, on account of the refusal of the French 
chamber of deputies to make the appropriation required for the execu- 
tion of the treaty concluded in 1831, by which the French govern- 
ment stipulated to make indemnity for spoliations committed on 
American commerce during the reign of Napoleon. In December, 



DEATH OF GENERAL JACKSON. 



767 



the president, in consequence, recommended reprisals to be made 
upon French commerce, in the event of the indemnity being any 
longer withheld; in January, 1835, the French government, offended 
with this recommendation, and with the language of the president 
respecting France, in his message to Congress, recalled its minister 
from the United States ; and, on the 2d of March following, on the 
motion of Mr. John Quincy Adams, the house of representatives 
unanimously resolved, " that in the opinion of this house, the treaty 
with France, of the 4th of July, 1831, should be maintained, and its 
fulfilment insisted upon." Fortunately, a change about this time 
occurred in the French ministry, and the indemnity bill passed the 
chamber of deputies on the 18th of April, but, with the condition 
annexed, that the money (twenty-five million francs) was not to be 
paid until the French government should have received satisfactory 
explanations, with regard to the president's message of the pre- 
ceding December- This condition, however, having been complied 
with, the treaty was executed without any further delay, and a good 
understanding was restored between the two countries. 

On the 4th of March, 1837, Jackson's second presidential term 
expired. After having witnessed the inauguration of his successor, 
he retired to the Hermitage, where he remained in the enjoyment of 
uninterrupted peace until June 8th, 1845, the date of his decease. 
"The violence of political strife,*' says a recent writer, "will long 
confuse men's judgments of his character and abilities as a whole ; 
but all will accord to him the praise of great firmness, energy, de- 
cision and disinterestedness — of remarkable military skill and ardent 
patriotism." 





MAJOR GENERAL ALEXANDER MACOMB, 



AJOR-GENERAL ALEXANDER MACOMB 

was descended from Irish ancestors. His father 
represented the city of New York in the legisla- 
ture of the state, in the years 1787 and 1788, 
and during his life maintained the character of 
an active and useful citizen. Five of his sons 
served in the war of 1812, either in the regular 
army or in the militia. Alexander was born in Detroit, where his 
father was then engaged in the fur trade, on the 3d of April, 1782. 
At that time Detroit was a military post, and the earliest associa- 
tions of the mind of the future general were of a martial cast. At 

768 




MACOMB AT SCHOOL. 



769 



the age of eight years he was sent to school at the Academy at New- 
ark, New Jersey. While he was there, the excitement produced in 
this country by the progress of the French Revolution reached its 
height, and the heroes of the Newark Academy were no less enthu- 
siastic in their determination to support our national rights than their 
countrymen of larger growth. They joined in the task of throwing 
up works around New York, to defend it in case of the expected war 
with Great Britain. 

" The ensuing winter furnished new occasions for these miniature 
military operations. The students agreed to erect a fort of snow, 
and to divide themselves into two parties, one of which to garrison 
the fort, and the other to attack it. The Latin and Greek teacher 
at the academy was a Scotchman of the name of Irquart, who pos- 
sessed deep-rooted prejudices against the French, and, finding that 
they were not so enthusiastically admired as formerly by 1 he Ame- 
ricans, sought to create animosities among the students, who were 
pretty equally divided in point of number. The fort being com- 
pleted, these little communities, as representatives of their respective 
nations, determined to toss-up for the possession of the fort, and each 
choose a commander. The French won ; and a day was fixed on 
for the siege and attack. The French boys secretly repaired to the 
fort the previous night, with frozen snow-balls, and arranged them in 
their magazines, and along the parapets. At dawn of the appointed 
day, the parties were at their respective, stations, Macomb heading 
the Americans. The besieging party, before commencing the attack, 
threw up, under the fire of the fort, a sort of epaulment, to cover 
themselves from the balls of the besieged. The Scotch schoolmaster 
happened that day to get into the academy at an earlier hour than 
usual, and watched, with intense eagerness, the operations of the 
belligerents, which were going on at no great distance from his posi- 
tion. The assailants having prepared a .sufficient quantity of muni- 
tions for the bombardment, the fire was opened on the fort, and 
returned with great spirit and effect, several of the besieging party 
having been struck with the ice-balls, and brought to the ground. 
The Americans conceived the use of this missile to be contrary to 
the laws of war ; and their leader instantly proposed to assault the 
fort, and carry it by storm. This proposal was hailed with three 
cheers, and almost as immediately executed. Under a tremendous 
and well-directed fire of the ice-balls, the works were stormed, the 
magazines seized, and the arms turned asrainst the French. The 
Scotchman now caused the bell to be rung for school ; and, after 
severely upbraiding the besieged party for their treachery, he applied 
his leathern thong to their leader, calling him the domned French mon, 

49 



770 ALEXANDER MACOMB. 

until our hero, by his intercession, procured his release, and let him 
go on parole." 

His education was completed under the personal superintendence 
of his father, who caused him to be particularly instructed in mathe- 
matics and drawing, and paid such attention to his bodily exercises 
as laid the foundation for a hale, robust constitution. On the 28th 
of May, 1798, Macomb became a member of the New York Rangers, 
a volunteer company composed of the young gentlemen of New 
York, to which a single black ball denied admission. On the organi- 
zation of the army, by General Washington, he applied for a com- 
mission without the knowledge of his friends, and was appointed a 
cornet of light dragoons, his commission dating the 10th of January, 
1799. General Hamilton hearing of his application for a commission, 
seconded it, with the remark, that he was " young, active and ambi- 
tious." General North became adjutant-general, and was stationed 
in New York, near the head-quarters of General Hamilton, and 
Macomb, though but seventeen years of age, was appointed to his 
staff. He was thus thrown into constant association with some of 
the most scientific and practical officers of the revolutionary army, 
and after learning in the most thorough manner all the duties of the 
soldier and officer, young Macomb was allowed by General Hamil- 
ton to go to Montreal, to observe the tactics of the British regular 
force stationed there. 

On his return to the United States he found himself retained in 
the military establishment, as second lieutenant in one of the old 
troops of dragoons ; receiving his commission from the hand of Pre- 
sident Jefferson, on the 10th of February 1801. 

He was ordered on the recruiting service to Philadelphia, where 
he employed his leisure in studying the science of fortification and 
military topography. Having raised a handsome body of recruits, 
Macomb marched them to join the army under General Wilkinson at 
Pittsburg. Although, as a dragoon officer, entitled to be mounted, 
yet having a number of subaltern officers of infantry under his com- 
mand, he declined any exclusive personal indulgence, and proceeded 
with the party on foot a distance, by the ancient route, of three 
hundred and twenty miles. A humorous occurrence, not devoid of 
interest in a military point of view, happened to the detachment on 
the way, which is still well remembered by the inhabitants near 
Turtle creek. An officer of superior rank, heading asmall body of 
recruits, overtook Macomb's, at Chambersburg, and uniting forces, 
assumed the command of the whole. The party now consisting of 
about one hundred and fifty men, with the usual complement of 
women, halted in the morning on an island near the crossing place at 



ANECDOTE. 



771 



Turtle creek. This was in the month of May, when heavy showers 
are frequent in the mountains bordering the creek. Macomb, being 
officer of the day and learning the intention of the commanding 
officer to encamp on the island, remonstrated against the measure, 
alleging that the island, lying under the mountains, was obviously 
liable to be Inundated, pointing out at the same time the drift wood 
on the head of the island, as an evident indication of that fact. The 
commanding officer, disdaining the representations of his junior, 
authoritatively ordered the tents to be pitched. The camp was soon 
formed — the men became busy in brushing up their arms and accou- 
trements — and the women in washing their clothes. At tattoo, they 
retired to rest. But the day had scarcely closed, when appalling 
thunder indicated, too clearly, a coming flood. Pouring down the 
sides of the mountains, the rain soon swelled the water of the creek, 
which at noon was nearly dry, to a level with the island. Through 
the pitchy darkness of the night, the lightnings revealed the approach- 
ing danger. The torrents continued to pour, and the floods to rise. 
The drums beat to arms — the tents were struck — the wagons were 
made fast to any fixture — the women scrambled into the wagons, and 
the men up the trees — and the horses were swum by their drivers 
across the creek. In this plight, so ludicrous if it had not been 
dangerous, in which they remained through the night, daylight both 
exposed and relieved them. The inhabitants came to their rescue 
on floats, from which, on returning, many were swept by the force 
of the stream, and floated about like the fragments of a wreck. On 
main land once more, from the disagremen of accompanying a 
drenched and all but drowned party, which a little while before had 
worn a most soldier-like appearance, and which Macomb had spared 
neither pains nor expense in equipping and ornamenting, he was 
extricated by his commanding officer, who, having now dearly bought 
an useful lesson in the art of eastramentation, and learned to appre- 
ciate Macomb's advice, despatched him to General Wilkinson for 
fresh supplies of provisions and clothing. 

In 1801, he accompanied General Wilkinson, who had been 
appointed a commissioner with General Pickens and Colonel Hawkins 
to treat with the Indian tribes in the south-west territory. About 
ten months were spent in the mission, during which Macomb kept 
a minute journal in which he noted the courses and distances of 
streams and positions, the productions of ihe soil and the geographical 
and geological features of the country. He also constructed a topo- 
graphical map, which was sent to the war office, and received the 
marked approbation of President Jefferson. 

While on this commission the army had been again reduced, but 



772 ALEXANDER MACOMB. 

he was retained as first lieutenant of the corps of engineers, a flatter- 
ing mark of the esteem in which his talents and merits as a draughts- 
man and engineer were held. 

He was ordered to West Point, where he remained until June 
1805, when he was appointed captain in the corps of engineers. 
During this portion of his life he was constantly engaged in his studies 
on military exercises, except when he was called from them to attend 
a court martial, sometimes as member, and sometimes as judge 
advocate. He acted in this latter capacity at the trial of Colonel 
Butler for disobedience in refusing to comply with the order of Gen- 
eral Wilkinson requiring the hair of the officers and soldiers to be 
cropped. The gallant old veteran retained his queue at the risk of a 
reprimand for breach of discipline. During this trial Macomb exhi- 
bited so correct a knowledge of military law and the mode of proceed- 
ing, that several of the members of the court requested him to prepare 
a treatise as a guide for the conduct of courts martial ; a work which 
he executed while engaged in superintending the erection of public 
works at Mount Dearborn, S. C. After receiving the approbation of 
Generals Davie and Pinckney it was printed, presented to the govern- 
ment, received the approbation of the president, and adopted as the 
standard for the guidance of courts martial. 

Macomb rose gradually in his profession, honored from time to 
time with the confidence and approbation of the heads of the depart- 
ment. At the time the war of 1812 was determined on, he held 
the rank of colonel of engineers, and the office of adjutant-general 
of the army. These he abandoned when active service in the 
field was to be found, and received the appointment of colonel 
of the third regiment of artillery, which was forthwith raised, 
equipped, organized and disciplined under his auspices. It soon 
became a model for most of the others in the service. Marching to 
Sackett's Harbor in November, 1812, he spent the winter in com- 
mand of the whole lake frontier. In January, 18 14, he was raised 
to the rank of brigadier-general, and appointed to a command on the 
east side of Lake Champlain, and from this time until the battle of 
Plattsburgh, he was constantly engaged in the discharge of arduous 
duties. During the summer of 1814, Sir George Prevost, the go- 
vernor-general of the Canadas, having greatly augmented his forces 
by detachments from the army that had reaped laurels in Spain and 
Portugal, under Wellington, determined to strike a decisive blow on 
the frontier, in the hope of terminating the contest. 

While he lay at Odletown, trusting to the superiority of his num- 
bers, and the terrible appearance, perhaps, of his invincibles, he 
permitted his camp to be open to any American citizen who chose 



PREVOST S INVASION. 



775 



to enter it, and endeavored by its arrangement to magnify its really 
great strength. A body of merchants accompanied the expedition 
with a view of disposing of their goods in the conquered parts of the 
United States. The news of the capture of Washington at this time 
reached Macomb, who with true military courtesy sent the papers 
containing an account of it to the British general, with his compli- 
ments. He thus gave to this affair the appearance of an ordinary 
occurrence of war, and taught the enemy that he considered it no 
augury of defeat. 

The effect of all these things upon others, however, was different. 
Day after day he received communications from the most respectable 
inhabitants, urging him to send the public stores up the lake, and 
retire, that he might save them, his troops and the town of Pitts- 
burgh from the inevitable destruction that impended. A retreat 
before such a force would not be dishonorable, but to remain would 
be a wanton sacrifice of lives and property. After a time, the un- 
flinching general answered their petitions. His answer was conveyed 
in a letter to the secretary of war, which we quote. It is dated 
Plattsburgh, September 16th, 1814. 

" The governor-general of the Canadas, Sir George Prevost, having 
collected all the disposable force of Lower Canada, with a view of 
conquering the country as far as Ticonderoga, entered the territory of 
the United States on the first of the month, and occupied the village 
of Champlain, there avowed his intentions, and issued orders and 
proclamations, tending to dissuade the people from their allegiance, 
and inviting them to furnish his army with provisions. He imme- 
diately began to impress the wagons and teams in the vicinity, and 
loaded them with baggage and stores, indicating preparations for an 
attack on this place. My fine brigade was broken up to form a 
division ordered to the westward, which consequently left me in the 
command of a garrison of convalescents and the recruits of the new 
regiments, all in the greatest confusion, as well as the ordnance and 
stores, and the works in no state of defence. 

To create an emulation and zeal among the officers and men, I 
divided them into detachments, and placed them near the several 
forts, declaring in orders, that each detachment was the garrison of 
its own work, and bound to defend it to the last extremity. The 
enemy advanced cautiously and by short marches, and our soldiers 
worked day and night ; so that, by the time he made his appearance 
before the place, we were prepared to receive him. Finding, on 
examining the returns of the garrison, that our force did not exceed 
fifteen hundred men for duty, and well informed, that the enemy had 
as many thousand, I called on General Mooers of the New York 



776 ALEXANDER MACOMB. 

militia, and arranged with him places for bringing- forth the militia 
en masse. 

The inhabitants of the village fled with their families and effects, 
except a few worthy citizens and some boys, who formed themselves 
into a party, received rifles, and were exceedingly useful. General 
Mooers arrived with seven hundred militia, and advanced several 
miles on the Beekmantown road, to watch the motions of the enemy, 
and to skirmish with him as he advanced, also to obstruct the roads 
with fallen trees, and to break up the bridges. On the lake road, at 
Dead Creek bridge, I posted two hundred men, under Captain 
Sp'roul, of the 13th regiment, with orders to abattis the woods, to 
place obstructions in the road, and to fortify himself; to this party I 
added two field-pieces. In advance of that position was Lieutenant- 
Colonel Appling, with one hundred and ten riflemen, watching the 
movements of the enemy and procuring intelligence. It was ascer- 
tained that before daylight on the 6th, the enemy would advance in 
two columns, on the roads before mentioned, dividing at Sampson's, 
a little below Chazy village. The column on the Beekmantown 
road proceeded most rapidly ; the militia skirmished with their 
advanced parties, and, except a few brave men, fell back most pre- 
cipitately, in the greatest disorder, notwithstanding the British troops 
did not design to fire on them except by their flankers and advanced 
patrols. 

Finding the enemy's columns had penetrated within a mile of 
Plattsburgh, I despatched my aid-de-camp, Lieutenant Root, to 
bring off the detachment at Dead Creek, and to inform Lieutenant- 
Colonel Appling that I wished him to fall on the enemy's right flank ; 
the colonel fortunately arrived just in time to save his retreat, and to 
fall in with the head of a column debouching from the woods ; here 
he poured in a destructive fire from his riflemen at rest, and con- 
tinued to annoy the column, until he formed a junction with Major 
Wool. The field-pieces did considerable execution among the enemy's 
columns. So undaunted, however, was the enemy, that he never 
deployed in his whole march, always pressing on in a column. Find- 
ing that every road around us was full of troops, crowding in all 
sides, I ordered the field-pieces to retire across the bridge, and form 
a battery for its protection, and to cover the retreat of the infantry, 
which was accordingly done, and the parties of Appling and Wool,, 
as well as that, of Sproul, retired alternately, keeping up a brisk fire 
until they got under cover of the works. The enemy's light troops 
occupied the houses near the bridge, and kept up a constant firing 
from the windows and balconies, and annoyed us much. I ordered 
them to be driven out with hot shot, which soon fired the houses and 



BATTLE OF P L A T TS B U R G H. 



777 



obliged these sharp-shooters to retire. The whole day, until it was 
too late to see, the enemy's light troops endeavored to drive our 
guards from the bridge, but they suffered dearly for their perse- 
verance. 

Our troops being all on the south side of the Saranac, I directed 
the planks to be taken off the bridges, and piled up in form of breast- 
works, to cover our parlies intended for disputing the passage, 
which afterwards enabled us to hold the bridges against very supe- 
rior numbers. From the 7th to the 1 lib, the enemy was employed 
in getting his battering train, and erecting his batteries and ap- 
proaches, and constantly skirmishing at the bridges and fords. By 
this time the militia of New York and volunteers from Vermont, 
were pouring in from all quarters. I advised General Mooers to 
keep his force along the Saranac, to prevent the enemy crossing the 
river, and to send a strong body in his rear, to harass him day and 
night, and keep him in continual alarm. The militia behaved with 
great spirit after the first day, and the volunteers from Vermont were 
exceedingly serviceable. 

Our regular troops, notwithstanding the constant skirmishing, and 
repeated endeavors of the enemy to cross the river, kept at their 
work, day and night, strengthening their defences, and evinced a 
determination to hold out to the last extremity. It was reported that 
the enemy only awaited the arrival of his flotilla to make a general 
attack. About eight, on the morning of the 1 1th, as was expected, 
the flotilla appeared in sight, round Cumberland Head, and at nine, 
bore down and engaged our flotilla, at anchor in the bay* off this 
town. At the same instant, the batteries were opened on us, and 
continued throwing bomb-shells, shrapnells, balls and Congreve rock- 
ets until sunset, when the bombardment ceased ; every battery of 
the enemy being silenced by the superiority of our fire. The naval 
engagement lasted two hours, in full view of both armies. Three 
efforts were now made by the enemy to pass the river at the com- 
mencement of the cannonade and bombardment, with a view of 
assaulting the works, and had prepared for that purpose an immense 
number of scaling ladders; one attempt was made to cross at the 
village bridge ; another at the upper bridge ; and a third at a ford, 
about three miles from the works. At the two first he was repulsed 
by the regulars ; at the ford, by the brave volunteers and militia — 
where he suffered severely in killed, wounded and prisoners, a con- 
siderable body having passed the stream, but were either killed, taken 
or driven back. The. woods at this place were very favorable to the 



* Burlington Bay, where the Battle of Lake Champlaiii was fought. 



778 ALEXANDER MACOMB. 

operations of our militia; a whole company of the 76th regiment 
was here destroyed — the three lieutenants and twenty-seven men 
prisoners ; the captain and the rest killed. I cannot forego the 
pleasure of here stating the gallant conduct of Captain McGlassin, 
of the 15th regiment, who was ordered to ford the river and attack 
a party constructing a battery on the right of the enemy's line, 
within five hundred yards of Fort Brown, which he handsomely exe- 
cuted, at midnight, with fifty men ; drove off the working party, 
consisting of one hundred and fifty, and defeated a covering party 
of the same number, killing one officer and six men in the charge, 
and wounding many. At dusk, the enemy withdrew his artillery 
from the batteries, and raised the sbge ; and at nine, under cover of 
the night, sent off all the heavy baggage he could find transport for, 
and also bis artillery. At two the next morning, the whole party 
precipitately retreated, leaving the sick and wounded to our genero- 
sity, and the governor left a note with a surgeon, requesting the 
humane attention of the commanding general. 

Vast quantities of provisions were left behind and destroyed; also, 
an immense quantity of bomb-shells, cannon-balls, grape-shot, ammu- 
nition, flints, &.c. <k.c. , intrenching tools of all sorts, also tents and 
markees. A great quantity has been found in the ponds and creeks, 
and buried in the ground, and a vast quantity carried off by the 
inhabitants. Such was the precipitance of his retreat, that he 
arrived at Chazy, a distance of eight miles, before we had discovered 
his departure. The light troops, volunteers and militia, pursued 
immediately on learning his flight ; and some of the mounted men 
made prisoners, five dragoons of the 19th, and several others of the 
rear guard. A continued fall of rain, and a violent storm, prevented 
further pursuit. Upwards of three hundred deserters have come in, 
and many are hourly arriving. The loss of the enemy in killed, 
wounded, prisoners, and deserters, since his first appearance, cannot 
fall short of two thousand five hundred, including many officers, 
among whom is Colonel Wellington of the Buffs. Killed and 
wounded on the American side; thirty-seven killed, sixty-six wounded 
— missing twenty ; making one hundred and twenty-three. The 
whole force under Sir George Prevost amounted to fourteen thousand. 
The conduct of the officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers 
of my command, during this trying occasion, cannot be represented 
in too high terms." 

Our account of the battle of Plattsburgh would be incomplete 
without the following official despatch of Commodore Macdonough, 
giving a most vivid description of his glorious victory on Lake Cham- 
plain. 



macdonough's official despatch. 



779 




Commodore Macdonough. 



U. S. Ship Sabatoba, Piattsbuugh Bat, > 
September 13th, 1814. 3 

Sir, — I have the honor to give you the particulars of the action 
which took place on the 1 1th instant, on this lake. 

For several days the enemy were on their way to Plattsburgh by 
land and water, and it being well understood that an attack would 
be made at the same time, by their land and naval forces, I deter- 
mined to await, at anchor, the approach of the latter. 

At ei°ht a. M. the look-out boat announced the approach of the 
enemy. At nine, he anchored in a line ahead, at about three hun- 
dred yards distance from my line ; his ship opposed the Saratoga, 
his brig to the Eagle, Captain Robert Henley ; his galleys, thirteen 
in number, to the schooner, sloop, and a division of our galleys ; one 
of his sloops assisting their ship and brig, the other assisting their 
galleys. Our remaining galleys with the Saratoga and Eagle. 
' In this situation, the whole force on both sides, became engaged, 
the Saratoga suffering much from the heavy fire of the Corifiance. 
I could perceive at the same time, however, that our fire was very 
destructive to her. The Ticonderoga, Lieutenant Commandant 
Cassin, gallantly sustained her full share of the action. At half past 



7 80 



ALEXANDER MACOMB. 




Battle of Lake Champlain. 

ten o'clock, the Eagle not being able to bring her guns to bear, cut 
her cable, and anchored in a more eligible position, between my ship 
and the Ticonderoga, where she very much annoyed the enemy, but 
unfortunately, leaving me exposed to a galling fire from the enemy's 
brig. Our guns on the starboard side being nearly all dismounted, 
or not manageable, astern anchor was let go, the bower cut, and the 
ship winded with a fresh broadside on the enemy's ship, which soon 
after surrendered. Our broadside was then sprung to bear on the 
brig, which surrendered in about fifteen minutes after. 

The sloop that was opposed to the Eagle, had struck some time 
before, and drifted down the line ; the sloop which was with their 
galleys having struck also. Three of their galleys are said to be sunk, 
the others pulled off. Our galleys were about obeying with alacrity, 
the signal to follow them, when all the vessels were reported to me 
to be in a sinking state ; it then became necessary to annul the sig- 
nal to the galleys, and order their men to the pumps. I could only 
look at the enemy's galleys going off in a shattered condition, for there 
was not a mast in either squadron that could stand to make sail on ; 
the lower rigging being nearly shot away, hung down as though it 
had been just placed over mast heads. 

The Saratoga had fifty-five round shot in her hull, the Confiance 
one hundred and five. The enemy's shot passed principally just over 
our heads, as there were not twenty whole hammocks in the nettings 
at the close of the action, which lasted, without intermission, two 
hours and twenty minutes. 

The absence and sickness of Lieutenant Raymond Perry, left me 



battle of lake champ lain. 



781 




Burlington Bay. 

without the services of that excellent officer; much ought fairly to 
be attributed to him for his great care and attention in disciplining 
the ship's crew as her first lieutenant. His place was filled by a gal- 
lant young officer, Lieutenant Peter Gamble, who. I regret to inform 
you, was killed early in the action. Acting Lieutenant Vallette 
worked the first and second division of guns with able effect. Sail- 
ing-master Brum's attention to the springs, and in the execution of 
the order to wind the ship, and occasionally at the guns, met my 
entire approbation : also Captain Youngs, commanding the acting 
marines, who took his men to the guns. Mr. Beale, purser, was of 
great service at the guns, and in carrying my orders throughout the 
ship, with Midshipman Montgomery. Masters mate, Joshua Justin, 
had command of the third division ; his conduct during the action, 
was that of a brave officer. Midshipmen Montealh, Graham, William- 
son, Piatt, Thwing, and Acting Midshipman Balwin, all behaved well, 
and gave evidence of their making valuable offirers. The Saratoga 
was twice set on fire, by hot shot from the enemy's ship. 

I close, sir, this communication, with feelings of gratitude, for lie 
able support I received from every officer and man attached to the 
squadron which I have the honor to command. 

I have the honor lo be, &c, 

T. Macdonough. 

Honorable Wiliiam Jones, Secretary of the Navy. 



That the governor general of the Canadas, with fourteen thousand 
veteran invincibles of Wellington — with soldiers who had conquered 



782 ALEXANDER MACOMB. 

in the most sanguinary fields of Europe, and established with their 
life's blood, an imperishable fame — that he should abandon the 
conquest of the United States, and retreat to Canada before 
fifteen hundred regular Yankee troops and their voluntary comrades 
of the militia, was too incredible. The people could not be made 
to believe it for a considerable time, but when conviction came, their 
gratitude knew no bounds. The papers every where in the United 
States teemed with eulogy of the defence of Plattsburgh. The 
legislatures of the several states passed resolves of thanks to the 
officers and men ; and General Macomb was noticed with especial 
commendation, particularly by his own state and the state of Ver- 
mont. The state of New York complimented him with a superb 
sword, presented by Governor Tompkins ; and the city of New York 
gave him its freedom in a gold box, presented by its mayor, De Witt 
Clinton ; it also requested him to sit for his portrait, to be placed in 
its gallery of distinguished patriots. Nor was the national legislature 
unmindful of the great debt of gratitude which the country owed 
him. Congress passed a vote expressive of their sense of his ser- 
vices, and directed that a gold medal should be struck, emblematical 
of his triumph at Plattsburgh, to be presented by the president of 
the United States. The president also conferred on Macomb the 
rank of major-general by brevet, the commission bearing date on the 
day of the victory. 

Such was the anxiety manifested in England for the result of the 
gigantic enterprise thus defeated, that the gazettes of London had 
already proclaimed the successful invasion of New York, and the 
capture of Plattsburgh. 

The British commissioners at Ghent were looking with sanguine 
confidence, for the official accounts of the progress of the British arms 
in America, expecting to stand in an attitude for dictating to our 
envoys the conditions of peace. The London publications having 
flattered their hopes, by announcing a false issue to the contest, they 
heightened their demands, insisting on our recognition of the Indian 
tribes as independent nations, and urging other pretexts and preten- 
sions, to protract a pacification, until their receipt of authentic intelli- 
gence. When it came, the spell of this splendid enchantment was 
broken ; and broken too, by a mere guard of Yankee soldiers, and 
hasty collection of patriotic yeomanry, who hold in fee the soil they 
till ! The affair of Plattsburgh, auspiciously for our honor and 
interests, closed the negotiations of Ghent, and set the seal to the 
treaty of peace.* 

* Richards's Memoir of Macomb. 



CHARACTER OF MACOMB. 



783 



At the conclusion of the war, General Macomb was stationed at 
Detroit, in command of the north-western frontier. In 1821, he 
came to Washington to take the office of chief of the engineer 
department, and when General Brown died in 1835, he succeeded 
him as commander-in-chief of the army. He resided in this capacity 
at the seat of government until his death, on the 25th of June, 1841. 

General Macomb was in person above the ordinarv height, with a 
countenance indicative of great firmness, but exceedingly youthful 
in its expression ; a feature which frequently led persons to ask him 
on being introduced, if he were the son of the old general. His 
manners were elegant and polished, yet popular, and his conversation 
was characterized by learning, strong good sense, and great vivacity. 
His whole life shows his character as a man to have been as estima- 
ble as his public career was illustrious. His perceptions were quick, 
and his resources abundant ; in action he was prompt, persevering and 
powerful, stimulated by danger, and confirmed in his purpose by 
obstacles. Second only to his transcendant merit as a warrior, is 
that exhibited in the respectful disposition ever manifested by him 
towards the civil administration ; a disposition which enabled him 
to pass his whole life in the service of his country in every grade of 
his profession, and still escape a single arrest or serious embarrassment. 




Platt6turgh. 




BRIGADIER GENERAL DUNCAN McARTHUR. 



p N the history of the war of 
1812, we find frequent men- 
tion of General McArthur. 
This brave officer received 
his appointment as brigadier- 
in the United States army, 
12th. 1813. Previous to this, 



general 
March 

he had been engaged as colonel in the 
northern campaign, under General Hull, 
and used all his influence to induce that 
officer to continue the expedition against 
Canada. After the retreat to Detroit, he was sent, [August 13th,] 
in company with Colonel Cass and four hundred men, to open a 
communication with Lieutenant-Colonel Miller, who had just achieved 
the victory of Maguaga. On the 15th, Brock commenced his can- 
nonade of Detroit, and General Hull sent expresses for the detach- 
ment to return. These did not reach Colonel McArthur until after 
the capitulation had been signed ; and the first intelligence he re- 
ceived of that event, was a note from General Hull, informing him 
that his detachment, together with the Ohio volunteers, then ad- 
vancing, had been included in its terms. There being no alternative, 

784 




CONCLUDES A TREATY WITH THE INDIANS. 



785 



he was obliged to submit, and was carried into Canada as a prisoner 
of war. 

After being exchanged, McArthur joined the army of General 
Harrison during its pursuit of the infamous Proctor. In crossing 
Lake Erie, his brigade formed a reserve in the rear. On arriving at 
Sandusky, he was ordered to take possession of Detroit, which, 
together with Maiden, the enemy had just abandoned. He therefore 
missed a participation in the battle of the Thames. Information had 
also been received that several thousand Indians had retired a small 
distance into the woods, with instructions 1o attack General Harri- 
son's army on its passage from Sandusky. 

Immediately after taking possession of this place, General McAr- 
thur was visited by the Ottawa, Chippewa, Pottawatamie, Miami, 
and Kickapoo Indians, who requested peace. " They have agreed 
to take hold of the same tomahawk with us," says the general's 
report, " and to strike all who are, or may be enemies to the United 
States, whether British or Indians. They are to bring in a number 
of their women and children, and leave them as hostages, while they 
accompany us to war. Some of them have already brought in their 
women, and are drawing rations." 

General McArthur remained in the army until the close of the 
war, but seems to have left it shortly after that event. 




60 




BRIGADIER GENERAL WILLIAM H. WINDER. 



N our inquiries respecting the 
personal history of this brave 
officer, we have found but 
scanty materials. He was 
born in Maryland in 1775. 
He was educated for the bar, and 
practised law in Baltimore, until the 
opening of the war of 1812. He was 
then commissioned as colonel, in which 
capacily he joined General Dearborn's 
h army. On the 12th of March 1813, 
!yiS86HSg£^:;„SSs^Hlfl was made brigadier-general. 
In the attack on Fort George, General Winder's brigade followed 
immediately after General Boyd, and was actively engaged until 
the close of the assault. Immediately after this success General 
Dearborn, receiving information that the enemy had occupied a 
position at Beaver Dam, ordered General Lewis to that place with 
the brigades of Winder and Chandler, assisted by some artillery and 
light troops. The expedition took possession of several posts, and 

786 




BATTLE OF B LADE NSBURG. 



787 



finally of Fort Erie. At this place General Lewis halted on ascer- 
taining that the enemy had abandoned Beaver Dams. 

On returning to Fort George, General Lewis received intelligence 
that the. British officers, Proctor and Vincent, were endeavoring to 
unite their forces, and march down upon the American army. To 
prevent this, General Winder was despatched [June 1st] with his 
own and part of Chandler's brigade, and subsequently joined by 
Chandler with his remaining troops. At Forty Mile creek they 
learned that Vincent had taken a stand at Burlington Heights, near 
Stony creek, and both brigades were immediately marched to that 
place. Here they encamped in so careless a manner that the British 
general determined on an attack. This was made on the morning 
of June 6th, at two o'clock. The enemy advanced without firing 
a gun, and speedily took possession of five pieces of artillery, which 
were turned upon their former owners. The two generals, who but 
an hour before had separated from council, were instantly on horse- 
back. Chandler took command of the right wing, Winder of the left. 
Ignorant of the loss of the artillery, and supposing that the American 
troops had mistaken the enemy, they both rode up to it after the 
first discharge, in order to prevent a repetition. They were instantly 
taken prisoners. Unapprised of this event, the remaining officers 
took each his own plan of defence, and the greatest confusion ensued. 
The darkness of the night increased. Different companies fired on 
each other. The infantry were engaged with the artillery, the cavalry 
with the infantry or with both. This continued until Captain Towson, 
who was stationed in the rear, opened his artillery with a tremendous 
blast upon the enemy, and threw them also into confusion. Soon 
after day dawned, Colonel Burn assumed the command, rallied his 
troops, charged the British, and together with Colonel Milton saved the 
army. Major Armstrong, who although engaged during the whole 
action had not lost one man, nobly seconded his efforts and the rout 
of the enemy soon became total. In this affair the Americans lost 
sixteen killed, thirty-eight wounded, and ninety-nine taken — among 
the latter two generals. 

After being exchanged, General Winder remained in the army, 
and when the British, under General Ross, attacked Washington, 
he was intrusted with the command in that quarter. With about 
five thousand men he offered battle to Ross, but this the latter de- 
clined, marching by another road, while Winder fell back to Battal- 
ion Old Fields. The armies met, however, at Bladensburg, where, 
after a spirited resistance, the Americans were defeated. The British 
then entered Washington without further opposition. 

In the defence of Baltimore, under General Smith, Winder led a 



?88 



WILLIAM H. WINDER. 



%=a 




Bladensburg. 



detachment of United States dragoons, and was of the utmost ser- 
vice both during the action and after the retreat of the enemy. His 
position gave him a full view of the bombardment of Fort McHenry, 
which during the movements on land had been attacked by the 
British fleet, assisted by a large land force. While the English were 
advancing along the Philadelphia road, the frigates and bomb ships 
of the fleet approached within striking distance of the fort. Colonel 
Armistead had already disposed his force to maintain the cannonade 
with vigor ; a company of regular artillery, under Captain Evans ; 
and another of volunteer artillery, under Captain Nicholson, manned 
the bastions in the Star fort ; Captains Bunbury and Addison's sea 
fencibles, and Captain Berry's and Lieutenant Pennington's artillery, 
were stationed at the water batteries, and about six hundred infantry, 
under Lieutenant-Colonel Stewart, and Major Lane, were placed in 
the outer ditch, to repulse an attempt to land. The bombardment 
commenced. 

All the batteries were immediately opened upon the enemy, but the 
shot falling very far short of his vessels, the firing ceased from the 
fort, or was maintained only at intervals, to show that the garrison 
had not sunk under the tremendous showers, of rockets and shells, 
incessantly thrown into the batteries. Thus situated, without .the 
power of retaliating the attack of the enemy, Colonel Armistead and 
his brave men endured their mortification with an unyielding spirit, 



BRITISH REPULSED AT BALTIMORE. 



791 



during the whole bombardment, which continued until seven o'clock 
on the morning of the 14th. 

Under cover of the night, the British commanders despatched a 
fleet of barges to attack and storm Fort Covington. — The attempt 
was repulsed, however, and the, assailants retired, with an immense 
loss, to their bomb vessels, and on the morning of Wednesday the 
whole stood down the river, and rejoined Admiral Cochrane's fleet. 
THe loss in the fort amounted to four killed, and twenty-four 
wounded : among the killed were two gallant young volunteer officers, 
Lieutenants Clagget and Clem. The entire loss of the enemy has 
not yet been ascertained. That of the Americans on the field of 
battle did not fall short of one hundred and fifty, which, being added 
to the killed and wounded in the fort makes a total of one hundred 
and seventy-eight. The invaders having thus retired from what they 
called a demonstration upon Baltimore, the safety of the citizens 
was secured, and the different corps were relieved from further duty. 
The sight of these operations gave new zest to Winder's troops, and 
contributed materially to the repulse of the British land forces. 

General Winder remained in the army until the close of the war, 
when he resumed the practice of law. His death occurred in 1824. 





BRIGADIER GENERAL LEWIS CASS. 




USTICE can hardly be done to 
the civil and military merits of 
this gentleman in the scanty limits 
allowed for our sketch of his life. 
General Cass, son of a revolution- 
ary officer, was born in Exeter, New Hamp- 
shire, October 9th, 1782. After studying 
law under Governor Meigs, he commenced 
practice in 1802, and acquired public esteem 
so rapidly, that four years afterwards he was 
elected to the Ohio legislature. Next year 
he became marshal of Ohio. 

At the opening of the war of 1812, Cass was appointed colonel 
of the Ohio volunteers, and joined the army of General Hull. 
He immediately became one of the most active officers of the expe- 
dition, and used all his influence to make it successful, by a rapid 
792 




CASS JOINS THE ARMY OF HARRISON. 



793 




Battle of Maguaga. 



descent upon the British main posts. So strongly did he express his 
disapprobation of the retreat from Canada, that he became an object 
of aversion to the. commanding general. 

While the army lay at Detroit, Colonels Cass and McArthur were 
sent to assist Lieutenant-Colonel Miller, who had just achieved the 
victory of Maguaga. This active officer had been sent with five 
hundred men, mostly regulars, to open a communication with the 
river Raisin, in order to obtain supplies. On the afternoon of August 
9th, 1812, while proceeding with great vigilance he was suddenly 
fired on by about seven hundred and fifty British and Indians under 
Major Muir and Teeumseh. They were behind intrenchments 
screened by tall trees. Notwithstanding the suddenness of the 
attack, Colonel Miller maintained his ground, repeatedly charged the 
enemy, drove them into Brownstown, and would have captured the 
whole detachment, but for the timely aid of their boats. In a few 
days he was joined by Colonels Cass and McArthur ; but all further 
operations were arrested by Hull's surrender. 

Colonel Cass remained a prisoner until the spring of 1813, when 
he was exchanged. In the summer he was made brigadier-general, 
and joined the army of General Harrison. He was present at the 
victory of the Moravian towns. In October, 18 13, he became 
governor of Michigan territory. From (his time until 1825 he n;is 
engaged in various negotiations with the Indians, by which peace 
was to a groat extent firmly established between them and the while 
settlers. In 1828, when the Historical Society of Michigan was 



r94 



LEWIS CASS. 



organized, he was chosen president. He was afterwards elected a 
member of the American Philosophical Society, the Columbian Insti- 
tute, the American Antiquarian Society, and several other literary 
and scientific bodies. He also received from Hamilton College, New 
York, the degree of LL. D. 1b July, 183 1, he was appointed secre- 
tary of war by President Jackson. The eveats of that period belong 
rather to national history than to biography ; but it may be relevant 
to remark, that in his responsible station Cass discharged all duties 
iu a manner that met the approbation of a large portion of his coun- 
trymen, as well as of the president. In 1836, during the difficulties 
with France concerning the indemnity, he was appointed envoy 
extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to that power, and con- 
tributed to the subsequent amicable adjustment of all disputes. He 
was chosen United States senator fox Michigan in 1845, for the 
term ending; 1851. 




[Remains of the Barracks at Greenbush. 




liPilfPlf'P! 

fli II II II II 111 ^ViMjffi |c <■'•-? V V'f ' * 



BRIGADIER GENERAL JAMES WINCHESTER. 

.^JHE time of General Winchester's birth we have not any 
q® knowledge of. He served in the revolutionary war, and 
afterwards retired to a magnificent estate in Tennes- 
see, where lie lived in a style of luxurious enjoyment 
^H^ until the opening of the war of 1812. On the 27th 
of March, 1812, he was appointed brigadier-general, and given com- 
mand of the Ke'ntuckians, destined to reinforce the north-western 
army In doing so, he temporarily succeeded General Harrison, 
an unfortunate "circumstance, since the latter had long been the 
acknowledged favorite of the troops. On arriving at the rendezvous, 
(Fort Wayne,) he received the command from General Harrison, 
who also exerted himself to place at Winchester's disposal all sup- 



796 JAMES WINCHESTER. 

plies and other necessaries for a successful prosecution of the cam- 
paign. 

On the 20th of September, General Winchester marched from 
Wayne toward the Miami rapids. He reached Fort Defiance at the 
junction of the Au Glaise with the Miami on the 2d of October, 
having had several skirmishes with the Indians, in which he lost 
seven killed and one wounded. Harrison joined the army in its 
inarch, and having been lately appointed its commander, he now 
assumed command. On reaching the fort, General Tupper, of the 
Ohio volunteers, with a detachment of one thousand men, proceeded 
towards the rapids. Harrison then left the immediate command to 
Winchester, and proceeded to Franklinton, to organize and bring on 
the reinforcements. 

While the commander-in-chief was busily engaged in raising sup- 
plies, General Winchester proceeded to the rapids, and commenced 
a fortification. While thus engaged, he received a pressing call from 
the inhabitants of Frencht.own, on the river Raisin, for assistance, 
as the Indians had lately appeared in great force near that place. 
Colonel Lewis, with three hundred men, was sent to their relief; 
and on ascertaining that the enemy had already obtained possession 
of the village, he attacked them, [December 18th,] drove them from 
all their strong-holds, and into the neighboring woods. On the 20th 
he was joined by General Winchester with the main body. 

The whole force, numbering seven hundred and fifty men, was 
now seventy miles from succor, in an exposed situation, within twenty 
miles of Maiden, where was a much superior British army. From 
Maiden to French town was a solid bridge of ice, on which the Bri- 
tish could cross to the American encampment in six hours. The 
expedition had been undertaken, not on the principles of military 
prudence, but of inconsiderate zeal and humanity, and against the 
express request of General Harrison. On ascertaining that it had 
taken place, that officer was filled with the most serious apprehen- 
sions, expressing his fears to Governor Meigs in strong terms, and 
requesting further succors. He then pressed on with all the troops 
he had collected at Sandusky, in order to gain the rapids, and be in 
a situation to support the detachment. The British were not slow 
in improving their advantage. On the evening of January 21st, 
Colonel Proctor left Maiden, with six hundred British and one thou- 
sand Indians, under Splitlog and Roundhead, and early next morning 
commenced a furious attack upon the Americans. 

Large bodies of Indians were stationed in the rear, to intercept a 
retreat. After sustaining an unequal contest for twenty minutes, 
the right wing broke and fled across the river, where they were nearly 



MASSACRE AT THE RIVER RAISIN. 



797 



Ms'i^r JU> 








^<32KS&**S&r!f 



Massacre at the River Raisin. 

all massacred by a body of Indians. Two companies of fifty men 
each sent to their assistance, shared the same fate. General Win- 
chester and Colonel Lewis, in rallying them, were made prisoners. 
The left wing fought with distinguished valor against treble their 
number until eleven o'clock, when the general capitulated for them, 
stipulating for their safety and honorable treatment, — especially of 
the wounded. Three hundred and ninety-seven were slain or mas- 
sacred ; the remainder taken prisoners. Sixty-four wounded Ame- 
ricans being left on the ground, were carried into houses by the 
inhabitants. The British acknowledged a loss of twenty-four killed 
and one hundred and fifty-eight wounded ; but this was much less 
than the actual number. 

Early on the 22d, a large body of Indians came in, stripped, toma- 
hawked and scalped the sufferers, plundered and set fire to the 
houses, and consumed the dead and living in one undistinguished 
conflagration. One single instance will show the height of barbarity 
with which the British conducted this dreadful butchery. Captain 
Hart being wounded in the knee, was recognized by Captain Elliot, 
an American in the British service, who had been a class-mate and 
particular friend of Captain Hart, at Princeton College. Elliot 
assured his wounded friend that, he should be taken 1o Maiden, and 
treated humanely until he recovered. On the following day he was 
torn from his bed by Indians, and although carried away by a brother 



798 



JAMES WINCHESTER. 



officer, was again assaulted. At length an Indian agreed to convey 
him to Maiden for one hundred dollars. On the way the two were 
met by some Indians, who claimed the captain as their prisoner ; 
and on the refusal of his guide to give him up, ihey tore him from 
his horse, killed and scalped him. He was a most amiable man, and 
had lately married the sister of the celebrated Henry Clay. 

The rights of sepulture were refused to the slain, as Proctor 
alleged, that the Indians would not permit it. The few remaining 
wretched inhabitants privately buried Captain Hart and some others ; 
but on ascertaining it, the savages threatened all with instant death 
if they buried any more. The mangled remains of the slain lay, 
therefore, exposed in the fields, by the sides of the road, and in the 
woods, to the amount of more than two hundred, a prey to wild 
beasts. 

General Winchester was taken with a few other prisoners to 
Canada, but was afterwards exchanged. 

In November, 1814, he arrived in Alabama, preparatory to assum- 
ing the command in that district, while General Jackson marched to 
the relief of New Orleans, against which Sir Edward Packenham 
with a large naval and military force was proceeding. After Jack- 
son's departure, (November 22d,) General Winchester established his 
head-quarters at Mobile, where he was highly useful in forwarding 
troops and supplies to New Orleans, and in reporting the movements 
of the British and Spanish forces. After the capture of Fort Bowyer, 
about thirty of the enemy's vessels, with some boats and barges, 
anchored within sight, of Mobile, apparently with the design of 
making an attack. General Winchester made every preparation to 
receive them, although his garrison consisted of but three hundred 
and sixty men. No assault was however made. 

General Winchester remained at Mobile until the close of the war, 
but appears to have left the army soon after that event. Of his sub- 
sequent life we have no information. 





COLONEL RICHARD M. JOHNSON. 

HIS gentleman is a native of the state of 
Kentucky. When an infant, he was sent 
with his mother and other women and chil- 
dren, to take refuge in a fort successfully- 
defended only by about thirty men, against 
the assaults of a savage foe nearly five hun- 
dred strong. His father was then absent in 
Virginia on business. Kentucky once formed 
apart of that state, and was denominated 
"New Virginia," of which the eccentric Daniel Boone was the first set- 
tler. Johnson's early education was limited to a country school. After 
this, four years application in a country grammar school prepared 
him for the study of the law, the practice of which he began at nine- 
teen years of age. When twenty-two years old, he was ushered into 




800 RICHARD M. JOHNSON. 

public life. After serving two years as a member of the legislature 
of his native state, he was elected to a seat in the house of repre- 
sentatives of the Congress of the United States. He has been always 
attached to the republican party, and supported his vote in the 
national legislature, for war to resist the aggressions of Great Britain, 
by his personal services in the field. Here he displayed the native 
dignity of his character for courage, perseverance, and enterprise. 
His early rustic employments had braced his constitution, as it were, 
with iron nerves. 

After the successful defence of Fort Stephenson, when Governor 
Shelby repaired to the scenes of warfare with four thousand mounted 
Kentuckians, to reinforce General Harrison in the Michigan territory, 
Johnson commanded a mounted regiment, while the residue, from 
imperative circumstances, consented to act as infantry. Governor 
Shelby's division arrived at the head-quarters of the north-western 
army on the 17th of September, 1813, shortly after Perry's victory. 

With this force, he halted at Fort Meigs, with orders to advance 
to Detroit by land, while the commander-in-chief approached it by 
water. He was to be informed by express of every movement. 

On the 30th of September, he arrived at Detroit, and immediately 
began to cross the river in boats. At this time the British army was 
on its retreat up the river Thames, and Johnson's mounted regiment 
formed a part of the force selected to pursue it. 

Early on the morning of the 3d of October, the general proceeded 
with Johnson's regiment, to prevent the destruction of the bridges 
over the different streams that fall into Lake St. Clair and the 
Thames. These streams are deep and muddy, and are unfordable 
for a considerable distance into the country. A lieutenant of dra- 
goons and thirty privates, who had been sent back by General Proctor, 
to destroy the bridges, were made prisoners near the mouth of the 
Thames ; from them the general learnt that the enemy had no 
information of their advance. 

The baggage of the army was brought from Detroit in boats, pro- 
tected by a part of Commodore Perry's squadron. In the evening, 
the army arrived at Drake's farm, eight miles from the mouth of the 
Thames, and encamped. This river is a fine, deep stream, navigable 
for vessels of considerable burthen, after the passage of the bar at 
its mouth, over which there is generally seven feet water. The gun- 
boats could ascend as far as Dalson's, below which the country is 
one continued prairie, and at once favorable for cavalry movements, 
and for the co-operation of the gun-boats. Above Dalson's the 
aspect of the country changes ; the river, though still deep, is not 
more than seventy yards wide, and its banks high and woody. 



"UK SUIT OF THE BRITISH. 



801 



At Chatham, four miles from Dalson's, and sixteen miles from 
Luke St. Clair, is a small deep creek, where the arm)' found ihe 
bridge taken up, and the enemy disposed to dispute their passage, 
and upon the arrival of the advance guard, commenced a heavy fire 
from the opposite bank, as well as a flank fire from the right bank 
of the river. The army halted and formed in order of battle. The. 
bridge was repaired under cover of a fire from two six-pounders. 
The Indians did not relish the fire from our cannon, and retired. 
Colonel Johnson, being on the right, had seized the remains of a 
bridge at McGregor's mills, under a heavy fire from the Indians. He 
lost on this occasion two killed and four wounded. The enemy set 
lire to a house near the bridge, containing a considerable quantity 
of muskets ; the flames were extinguished and the arms saved. At 
the first farm above the bridge, they found one of the enemy's ves- 
sels on fire, loaded with arms and ordnance stores. Four miles 
higher up the army took a position for the night. Here they found 
two other vessels, and a large distillery filled with ordnance and 
stores to an immense amount, in flames. Two twenty-four pounders, 
with their carriages, were taken, and a large quantity of balls and 
shells of various sizes. 

The army was put in motion early on the morning of the fifth. 
The general accompanied Colonel Johnson ; and Governor Shelby 
followed with the infantry. This morning the army captured two 
gun-boats and several batteaux loaded with provisions and ammuni- 
tion. At nine they reached Arnold's mills, where there was a ford- 
ing place, and the only one for a considerable distance. Here the 
army crossed to the right bank, the mounted regiment fording, and 
the infantry in the captured boats. The passage, though retarded 
for want of a sufficient number of boats, was completed by twelve 

o'clock. 

IGHT miles above the ford, they passed the 
ground where the British force had encamped 
the night before. The general directed the 
advance of Colonel Johnson's regiment to 
accelerate their march, for the purpose of 
ascertaining the distance of the enemy. The 
officer commanding it shorlly after sent word 
back that his progress was stopped by the 
enemy, who were formed across our line of march. 

The army was now within three miles of the Moravian town, and 
within one mile of the enemy. The road passed through a beech 
forest without any clearing, and for the first two miles near to the 
bank of the river. At the distance of fifty rods from the river is a 

51 




802 RICHARD M. JOHNSON. 

swamp running parallel to it, and extending all the way to the Indian 
village ; — the intermediate ground dry, the surface level, the trees 
lofty and thick, with very little underwood to impede the progress 
of man or horse, except that part which borders on the swamp. 

Across this narrow strip of land, the British force was drawn up 
in line to prevent the advance of the American army. Their left, 
resting on the river, was defended by four pieces of cannon ; near 
the centre were two other pieces. Near the swamp the British line 
was covered by a large Indian force, who also lined the margin of 
the swamp to a considerable distance. The British troops amounted 
to six hundred ; the Indians probably to twelve hundred. 

As it was not practicable to turn the enemy in flank, it became 
necessary to attack them in front. General Harrison did not long 
hesitate in his choice of the mode of attack. It was as novel as it 
was successful. 

The troops at his disposal might amount to three thousand men ; 
yet, from the peculiar nature of the ground, one half of this force 
could not advantageously engage the enemy. 

About one hundred and fifty regulars, under Colonel Ball, occupied 
the narrow space between the road and river ; they were ordered to 
advance and amuse the enemy ; and, if an opportunity offered, to 
seize his cannon. A small party of friendly Indians was directed to 
move under the bank. Colonel Johnson's regiment was drawn up in 
close column, with its right a few yards distant from the road, with 
orders to charge at full speed as soon as the enemy delivered his fire. 
— The Kentucky volunteers, under Major-General Henny, were 
formed in the rear of the mounted regiment, in three lines extending 
from the road to the swamp. General Desha's division covered the 
left of Johnson's regiment. Governor Shelby was at the crotchet, 
formed by the front line and General Desha's division. This was an 
important point. General Cass and Commodore Perry volunteered 
as aids to General Harrison, who placed himself at the head of the 
front line of infantry, to direct the movements of the cavalry, and to 
give them the necessary support. Such was the order of battle. 

The army moved in this order till the mounted men received the 
fire of the enemy, at the distance of two hundred yards. The charge 
was beat, and, in an instant, one thousand horse were in motion at 
full speed : the right, led on by Colonel Johnson, broke through the 
British lines and formed in their rear. The enemy's pieces were not 
loaded ; their pieces were not fixed, and they surrendered at discretion : 
the whole was the work of a minute. In breaking through their 
ranks, our men killed twelve and wounded thirty-seven of tbe British 
regulars. The shock was unexpected. They were not prepared to 



BATTLE OF THE THAMES. 



803 




resist it ; some were trampled under the feet of our horses ; others 
were cut down by the soldiers ; very few were shot, for the fire was 
not general. Had the enemy shown the least symptoms of resistance, 
after their lines were broken through, the greater part would have 
been destroyed ; but they were passive. Never was terror more 
strongly depicted on the countenances of men. Even the officers 
were seen with uplifted hands, exclaiming, "quarters!" There is 
no doubt but that they expected to be massacred, believing that 
the Kentuckians would retaliate the bloody scenes of Raisin and 
Miami. 

N the left the contest was more serious ; Colonel 
Johnson, who commanded on that flank of his 
regiment, received a terrible fire from the Indians, 
which was kept up for some time. The colonel 
led the head of his column into the hottest of the 
enemy's fire, and was personally opposed to 
Tecumseh. At this point, a condensed mass of 
savages had collected. Yet, regardless of danger, 
he rushed into the midst of them ; so thick were the Indians, at this 
moment, that several might have reached him with their rifles. He 
rode a white horse, and was known to be an officer of rank ; a shower 
of balls was discharged at him, some of which took effect. His 
horse was shot under him, and his clothes, his saddle, and his 
person were pierced with bullets. — At the moment his horse fell, 
Tecumseh rushed towards him with an uplifted tomahawk, to give 
the fatal stroke ; but Johnson's presence of mind did not forsake him 
in this perilous predicament ; he drew a pistol from his holster, and 
laid his daring opponent dead at his feet. He was unable to do more, 
the loss of blood deprived him of strength to stand. Fortunately, 
at the moment of Tecumseh's fall, the enemy gave way, which 
secured him from the reach of their tomahawks. He received five 
shots — three in the right thigh, and two in the left arm. Six Ameri- 
cans and twenty-two Indians fell within twenty yards of the spot 
where Tecumseh was killed, and the trains of blood almost covered 
the ground. 

The Indians continued a brisk fire from the margin of the swamp, 
which made some impression on a line of Kentucky volunteers ; but 
Governor Shelby brought up a regiment to its support, and their (ire 
soon became too warm for the enemy. A part of Colonel Johnson's 
men having gained the rear of a part of the Indian line, the rout 
became general. A small party of Indians attempted to gain the 
village by running up the narrow strip of dry land, but they were 
soon overtaken and cut down. The Indians fought bravely, and 



804 



RICHARD M. J OWN SON. 



sustained a severe Joss in killed and wounded. The death of Te- 
cumseh was to them an irreparable loss. The American army had 
fifteen killed and thirty wounded. 

General Proctor abandoned his army at the moment Johnson's 
regiment beat the charge. He was supported in his flight by about 
fifty dragoons. Some of the mounted men who pursued him, were 
at one time within one hundred yards oi him, but were too weak to 
attack his guard. His carriage and papers were taken. So rapid 
was his retreating journey, that in twenty-four hours he found him- 
self sixty-five miles distant from the field of contest. After this 
affair, a suspension of arms took place ; the Indians sued for peace; 
and Governor Shelby's forces were discharged. 

The patience and fortitude with which Colonel Johnson endured 
the anguish of his wounds, and the incredible fatigues, severities and 
privations of his passage from Detroit to Sandusky, and from thence 
to Kentucky, surpassed, if possible, his courage on the field of battle. 
In the boisterous month of November, amid almost incessant rains — 
with five severe wounds which had barely begun to heal, he was con- 
veyed from his lodgings in Detroit, to a boat but ill provided with 
hands, and with scarcely a cover from the chilling storms of the 
season. Finally, after ninety hours of unremitted exertion, the party 
arrived at Fort Stephenson, at midnight. Here the boat was aban- 
doned — and he was placed on a litter, suspended between two horses 
— the rains recommenced, but the route was continued — a dreary 
wilderness, streams unfordable, bad roads, numerous rivers, and a 
distance of three hundred miles, separated the party from Kentucky. 
Yet all these formidable impediments were overcome with inflexible 
perseverance and astonishing celerity. 

After spending eight or ten weeks in Kentucky, he was so far 
recovered from his wounds, that he repaired to the seat of govern- 
ment, and resumed his seat in Congress. The fame of his exploits 
had preceded him ; and he was every where received with distin- 
guished testimonials of respect and admiration. 

Colonel Johnson was a member of the house of representatives of 
the United States from Kentucky, from the year 1807 to 1819, and 
from 1829 to 1S3T. 

In 1836, there being no election of vice-president by the people, 
Colonel Johnson was elected to that office by the senate, Mr. Van 
Buren having been elected president by the people. Since the 
completion of his service as vice-president, Colonel Johnson has 
not appeared on the arena of public life. 



< 














MAJOR GENERAL ZACHARY TAYLOR. 

S the history of our country is a narrative of wild and 
daring achievements, of gloomy despondencies and hair- 
breadth escapes, so the biographies of her generals are 
checkered with high-sonled exploits and romantic adven- 
tures, unsurpassed in the history of the world. From 
the first general war in which the colonists were involved, down to 
the present time, our military men seem to have delighted in danger 
and feats of daring. The lives of the American generals furnish 
the elements of romances, as wonderful as the legends of Germany 
or the tales of the Crusades. 

These glorious characters are not confined to a bygone age. During 
years of peace, their energies have slumbered in obscurity ; but when 
the war trump shook our land once more, and called our hardy sons 
to protect the national honor, then at the first blast, an army sprang 
up terrible from former inactivity, and eager for action. First among 















. I 



806 



ZACIIARY TAYLOR. 




Defence of Fort Harrison. 

these, he on whom every eye was fixed, on whom every expectation 
leaned, was General Taylor. Tried in the darkest hours of calamity, 
he stood up like a guiding spirit to lead our hosts to victory : and 
more potent than assemhled armies, he rolled back the Mexican 
legions from our soil, and won for himself a place among the greatest 
of American heroes. 

Born in 1784, in Orange county, Virginia, Zachary Taylor received 
his early impressions among scenes to which at present we have no 
parallel. The burning cottage, the midnight massacre, the yells of 
Indians, the smothered shrieks of the mother and her infant, were 
seen or heard night after night, on the wide plains of Virginia. Whole 
families robbed of their supporters, stripped of their property, were 
driven into the closer settlements, to excite the charity of their coun- 
trymen. Amid these tragic sights, voung Zachary lived and grew. 
He listened from infancy to dark tales of Indian war — the time 
that tried men's souls — and of Indian murders ; and even while at. 
school, learned tp anticipate, the time when he should assist in defend- 
ing his fireside from savage violence. 

But another field was soon opened for him, more useful and 
glorious, than a war with the Indians. The attack on the Chesa- 
peake, [June 1807,] roused our country, and multitudes indignant 
at the repeated injustice of England, and determined on revenge, 
voluntarily entered the army. Among these was young Taylor, who 
received his commission as first lieutenant of the seventh infantry, 
May 3d, 1808. He commenced his military career in a manner, 



DEFENCE OF FORT HARRISON. 



807 



rarely afforded to a youth of his age. It was by the defence of Fort 
Harrison, on the north-western frontier, September 4th, 1812. 

Late at night, the captain was roused from a sick bed by the gun 
of a sentry. Rushing into the fort he heard the dismal cry of fire, 
and soon perceived that a block-house, forming part of his defences, 
had been fired by a large body of Indians, who had commenced an 
attack. The ensuing scene was appalling. Paralyzed at sight of 
the flames and by the shouts of the Indians, the men (but eighteen 
in number) threw down their arms, and ran backward and forward in 
the wildest disorder. Women and children, the unfortunate ones of 
the. garrison, rushed into the burning fort, and with shrieks that rose 
above the uproar of battle, prayed to be saved. The flames rolled and 
tossed in blinding columns, while, certain of their prey, the Indians 
poured volley after volley of musketry through the openings, and 
rushed toward the burning building, to enter at the moment it fell. 
Two men leaped the barrier in despair. 

Amid the horrors of that dreadful night, one man was cool and 
self-possessed. This was Captain Taylor. The sight of danger, the 
exulting yells of an army of savages, only roused his energies, and 
displayed his true character. He replaced the arms of the soldiers, 
provided for the fall of the block-house, saved the neighboring build- 
ings, and dissipated all fear. Then the tones of his well-known voice 
rang along the lines, and as an echo to their sound, every gun in the 
fort poured forth upon the astonished Indians. A pause succeeded, 
the sharp noise of the ramrod was heard, and then another volley 
swept away chief and follower from the assailant's army. All fear 
was gone ; the eye of the young commander was fixed on each man, 
and victory was felt to be certain. Again and again the Indians 
rushed forward, and in impotent rage threw their bows and guns 
toward the fort. When morning came, they were gathered like a 
dark cloud in the rear of the fort ; while the loud cheers of the little 
garrison, told that its gallant defenders were safe. 

We next sec Taylor amid the swamps and dangers of Florida. He 
has received the rank of colonel, and is intrusted with the manage- 
ment of that war, which cost the nation so much treasure and valu- 
able life. On the 25th of December, 1836, he reached the banks 
of Lake Okee-chobce, at the head of one thousand men. The march 
had been a dreadful one— through swamps and wilds, where the white 
man had never trodden, and where every inch of ground had to he 
opened or cut through. Rivers and lakes were forded, bridges built, 
and causeways erected, in the midst of an utter wildi mess. 

Under cover of the thick and dark morasses, the Indians waited 
impatiently the arrival of the Americans upon the lake. They 



808 



ZACHARY TAYLOR. 




had sent the challenge which brought our army so far, and had 
taken every precaution to secure victory. When the advance 
of the Americans had nearly crossed the lake, a peal of mus- 
ketry rang upon the air, and many of those brave men sunk 
down in the agonies of death. The mud and water was waist deep, 
an impenetrable swamp was before them, and they were in full range 
of a savage enemy whom they could not see. There was a pause, 
and the heart of the bold soldier grew faint. Instantly, " onward," 
rang along their line, and Colonel Gentry their commander, moved to 
the front. Forgetting all danger, they returned the fire of the Indians, 
and struggled on after their gallant commander. But their progress 
was short. The colonel was cut down in the moment of triumph, 
and overcome with panic at the melancholy sight, the volunteers 
rushed backward, recrossed the lake, and fled to their camp. Then 
the enemy were sure of victory. Pouring from their retreat, they 
leaped upon the very banks of the swamp, and with loud shouts, 
prepared for a pursuit. But the same man who years before had 
driven back their hordes from Fort Harrison, now retrieved the day 
at Okec-chobee. Plunging into the water on horseback, he led his 
army across, although exposed to the musket of every Indian. Now 
the battle begins in earnest. Riding from rank to rank, the noble 
commander inspirits his troops, and drives them to the stubborn 
charge. The noise of battle, the shouts of officers, and groan3 of 
the dying, rolled along the. quiet vales of Florida, and told the 
sickening tale of blood and carnage. Now hand to hand the fierce 



BATTLE OF O K E E - C (I O B E E. 



809 




combatants seize each other's weapons, and wrestle for renown and 
victory in the jaws of death. Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson, while 
urging on his troops, fell mortally wounded. Lieutenant Center, his 
aid, cast one lingering look at him, and the next moment leapt into 
the air, and fell dead by his side. Officer after officer, man after 
man was swept away, until some companies had but four or five 
unwounded. But the bayonet of disciplined troops did its accus- 
tomed work. The Indians rolled back in confused heaps, until they 
reached their encampment at the extreme verge of the lake. Then 
the battle was renewed, and for two hours raged with a fury unknown 
in the annals of the Florida struggle. But the genius of Taylor was 
again triumphant. The savages were stormed in their huts, driven 
into the interior, and completely dispersed. 

UNDOUBTEDLY this was the greatest victory 
of the war ; and yet it was bought with a price. 
When the fierce hurry of passion, the tramp of 
infuriated armies was over, the unhappy victims 
of the struggle called for attention. One hun- 
dred and twelve officers and soldiers lay moan- 
ing on the ground in agony. The shout of vic- 
tory, the glory of a national triumph, did not arrest the ebb of their 
life-blood. To these Colonel Taylor now directed his attention. He 
soothed their anguish, attended to their wounds, and removed them 
to the comforts of the camp. 

In 1844, General Taylor was appointed to the command of the 
army of observation in Texas. His march from Corpus Christi to 
the Rio Grande, is a narration of wonderful and romantic events. 
The great American Desert was to be crossed, where all vegetation 
was stunted, and every river and lake filled with salt water. Here 
and there dense prickly pears, green and beautiful in the distance, 
mocked the eye with the appearance of cultivation and plenty. Then 
streams, cold and clear, caused the blood to thrill through the veins 
of the exhausted soldiers ; but the waters were salt, and loathsome, 
and at, tasting them, the troops looked upon each other with fearful 
foreboding. Drooping with thirst and weariness, the army moved 
over the burning sand, their feet parched and blistered with the heath, 
and their cattle dropping at every step. Men who subsequently faced 
death with alacrity, now grew still and melancholy ; and their un- 
echoing tread seemed like the muffled march to a funeral. 

But at length their sufferings terminated. They emerged from 
the desert, and far in the distance a white line was observed glitter- 
ing in the sun. Fresh water was spoken with startling energy, and 
as though accelerated by a super-human impulse, every man sprung 



810 



2.ACHARY TAYLOR. 




Corpus Christi 



onward. Nearer and nearer they drew, until the waves could be 
distinctly recognized sparkling in the distance. Now their eager- 
ness became uncontrollable. Sweeping along in rapid marches, the 
troops reached the brink, dashed down their arms and equipments, 
and rushed in headlong.- It was a moment when discipline yields to 
necessity, and General Taylor exulted and revelled with his troops 
as the commonest soldier. 

On the 28th of March, the American flag was waving on the 
banks of the Rio Grande. Round their national banner the weary 
troops sat down to enjoy once more the luxury of rest. They had 
crossed streams and deserts, forded rivers, endured hardships of hun- 
ger, thirst, fatigue and heat, had captured Point Isabel, and established 
there a military depot. The limit of their authority was reached, 
and they now sat down on the great river to await the commence- 
ment of hostilities, or an order to return home. 

The death of Colonel Cross, and subsequently of Lieutenant Por- 
ter, roused the army from its security. Then Captain Thornton with 
his command was captured, and immediately after the Mexicans, grown 
bold by success, crossed the Rio Grande, and spread themselves 
along the neighboring plains. Spies were sent out from the Ameri- 
can fort, but one by one they returned, with the information that 
crowds were still crossing, and that all communication with Point 
Isabel was cut off. A period, dark and trying, was settling over the 
army. They were deprived of all immediate communication with 
the government or their main depot, and surrounded by a hostile 
army many times superior to themselves. Yet not for one moment 



THE MARCH FROM POINT ISABEL. 



811 




Capture of Captain Thornton. 

did they despond ; confident that the motto of their leader was vic- 
tory or death, they leaned upon him as a strong pillar, and felt that 
there was that in his genius and firmness which must finally insure 
success. Nor was this confidence diminished, when Captain Walker, 
of the rangers, arrived at the fort, after escaping innumerable dan- 
gers, and reported the critical condition of Point Isabel. 

Aware of the importance of re-opening his communication, the 
general left his fort on the 1st of May, for the purpose of cutting his 
way to Point Isabel. Strange to say, he reached it in safety, replen- 
ished his stores, recruited his army, and set out [May 7th] on his 
return. That night the troops slept on the open plain, and early on 
the following morning, recommenced their solitary march. At noon 
they reached a wide prairie, flanked by pools of fresh water, and 
bounded in the distance by long rows of chapparal. In front of the 
latter were drawn up in battle array six thousand Mexicans, in one 
unbroken line a mile in length. It was a thrilling sight. Long rows 
of bayonets, glittering in the sunbeams, together with the lances of 
the horsemen, and hundreds of pennants and national flags, formed 
a spectacle brilliant and exciting. Undaunted by the overwhelming 
numbers of their adversaries, each soldier forgot the fatigues of the 
journey, and pressed forward with the highest enthusiasm. Nearer 
and nearer the armies approached, until but six hundred yards inter- 
vened between them. Then suddenly a roar like thunder shook the 
ground, and volumes of smoke burst from the batteries tothe Mexican 



812 



ZACHARY TAYLOR. 




Point Isabel- 
left, and rolled away in the distance. Battery after battery followed 
in rapid succession, till the ground rocked and trembled, the whole 
field was dense with smoke, and the balls tore up the earth and grass 
in whirling fragments. For a few minutes there was a pause, and 
the Americans placed their guns in battery. This done the action 
commenced in earnest, Ringgold, Duncan and Churchill sustaining the 
whole force of the enemy's fire. At every discharge of these gallant 
cannoneers, the Mexican cavalry reeled to and fro, while scores sunk 
down in mangled masses, beneath the tread of their companions. 
The rattling of artillery wagons, as they swept to different stations, 
the galloping of horses and rushing of armed men, the shouts of 
command and moans of the dying, mingled fearfully over that solitary 
plain. Dismayed by the havoc of his cavalry, the Mexican general 
collected their scattered fragments, and prepared for a charge. At 
this movement, the third and fifth infantry regiments, who had hitherto 
taken no part in the battle, were ordered forward to meet the enemy. 
But the huge masses bore on amid a tremendous fire from the third 
regiment assisted by Ridgely's guns until they arrived at the fifth. 
This was formed into a square to support Lieutenant Ridgely. That 
brave officer planted his guns in the very front of the lancers, and 
rode from rank to rank, amid showers of balls and bullets. His 
horse fell dead, and four others maddened with the smoke and uproar, 
plunged headlong, before the muzzles of the cannon and directly 
between the two armies. There was a moment of sickening dread, 



BATTLE OF PALO ALTO. 



813 




Battle of Falo Alto. 



for without horses the artillery would be unmanageable. In the next 
Ridgely sprang forward, and drew the animals to their stations. A 
pealing shout followed this daring action, echoed by roars of artillery 
and the hurryings of the enemy's retreat. At this uncertain moment 
Colonel Twiggs came down on them with the third infantry supported 
by Major Ringgold. Heavy balls crushed through their crowded 
columns, mowing down whole regiments, and piling man and steed 
in one long black line of death. 

While the cavalry were breaking before our artillery, the prairie 
grass became ignited, and in a few moments the stirring spectacle 
of a prairie on fire was added to the more terrible one of a battle. 
Thick masses of smoke rose between the two armies hiding them 
from each other and from the light of the sun. Gradually the work 
of death slackened, until at last silence brooded once more over the 
plain, interrupted only by the crackling of flumes or an occasional 
command. 

But the cessation was only temporary. Under cover of the dark- 
ness, each army formed a new line of battle, and after an hour's 
intermission the action re-commenced. The appetite for blood, the 
darker passions of human nature, had been aroused ; and now man 
saw his brother and companion fall by his side, or heard from every 
quarter the shrieks of suffering wretches, with scarcely one feeling 
of compunction. The artillery led the battle ; and both armies fought 
with a heroism rarely surpassed in the history of American warfare. 
In the very midst of it, one man rode along the van of our troops on 



814 



ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



a white horse, and exhorted them to duty. At sight of him wild 
shouts of exultation rose above the shock of contending armies, and 
each soldier forgot that he was rioting in blood and danger. 

No man sustained the honor of his country better on that day than 
did Major Ringgold. The very soul of the artillery force, he watched 
with thrilling interest the effect of every gun, and saw with the 
pride of a soldier the terrible havoc in the enemy's ranks. His calm, 
collected bearing and chivalric bravery, were the admiration of every 
beholder. Yet he was to shine but for a moment. Death had marked 
him as its victim, and fixed the dear price of his glory. While super- 
intending the eighteen pounders, a cannon-ball struck his right thigh, 
passed completely through the shoulders of his horse, and out through 
his left thigh, tearing away all the muscles that opposed its course. 

The last charge of the cavalry was met by Captain Duncan's bat- 
tery, assisted by the 8th infantry and Ker's dragoons. Before the 
fire of these companies the horsemen fell back in confused masses, 
and the day was won. Night brought repose to the weary soldiers, 
who sank upon the field, in their equipments, while the artillerists 
lay down beside their pieces. 

Thus one battle was won ; but another more dark and dreadful, 
and which was to drive the Mexican from Texas forever, was in 
reserve for the following day. At four o'clock in the afternoon, 
(May 9th,) the Americans arrived in front of a deep gorge, known 
as the Resaca de la Palma, flanking the road on each side, and 
covered with impenetrable chapparal, of prickly pear, Spanish needle 
and other thorny plants. Here the legions of Mexico had concealed 
their forces, and were awaiting the arrival of their opponents. Heavy 
batteries were posted in the gorge, so as to rake the road from both 
sides, while the infantry should, at the same time, employ their 
musketry from the chapparal. The cavalry were stationed so as to 
support the rest of the army, and act according to emergencies. 

About four o'clock, quick discharges of musketry were heard in 
the direction of the chapparal. The battle had begun. A party of 
skirmishers had engaged some Mexican cavalry, and after retreating 
a short distance rallied, and in turn drove back their opponents. 
Meanwhile the main army moved toward the gorge at a rapid march, 
eager to finish the work commenced at Palo Alto. Riding through 
their columns, the commander exhorted each man to prepare for the 
approaching struggle, and complete the measure of their worth and 
glory. Shouts of gratitude and exultation gave assurance that his words 
were not idly spoken. Every eye flashed, every bosom heaved with 
the intensity of excitement ; and the hurrying tread announced that 
very soon the two armies would again face each other in mortal strife. 



BATTLE OF RESACA DE LA PALMA. 



815 




Battle of Kesaca de la Palma. 

At length when near the Resaca, the Mexican artillery broke forth 
in discharges, which echoed and re-echoed along the gorge, and 
ploughed up the ground and rocks in every direction. The troops 
immediately halted. Then one regiment after another moved toward 
the ravine, regardless of the iron shower that hailed around and 
above them. In advance of all was Lieutenant Ridgely, whose 
batteries poured forth uninterrupted discharges of shot and canister. 
Closely following were the heavy columns of the 8th infantry, suc- 
ceeded by the remainder of the army. For thirty minutes the artil- 
lerists stood between the opposing forces, while the balls dashed, 
and bounded, and whistled around them, and the wailinsrs of mangled 
companions rung in their ears, The cavalry dashed upon them until 
the horses almost leaped upon the cannon; yet they faltered not. 
Throwing aside all superfluous clothing, grim with smoke and pow- 
der, and sweltering in the burning sun, these heroes stood hand to 
hand with death, and amid blood, and uproar, and thunder, wrenched 
victory from the enemy. Their leader managed a gun with his own 
hand, like the commonest soldier, and refused to mount his horse 
until the cavalry were broken. 

A shout terrible to the Mexicans, rang from the American troops 
on beholding this retreat, and a pursuit immediately commenced. 
Batteries groaning with heavy cannon were wheeled into action, and 
opei.ed upon the Americans. Clamor and misery followed their course, 
but still our troops pressed forward. Then the flash of thousands of 



816 



ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



muskets burst forth from the chapparal which seemed as a wall 
of living fire. Whole companies sunk down beneath the feet of their 
companions, and the artillery was almost dismantled. Still the 
soldiers advance. The bursts of artillery, the roar of musketry, and 
shouts of command, formed a scene incapable of description. But 
dashing through death and horror, our troops reached the thicket, 
and sprang forward to the fierce trial of the bayonet. Suddenly all 
noise was hushed, save that sickening one, whose short, quick sound 
chills the blood — the grating of bayonet with bayonet as they leap 
sternly at opposing bosoms. Then there was another shout — the 
chapparal was gained. 

Sure of victory, the troops now attempted to drive the Mexicans 
from their batteries. But here their progress was arrested. Manned 
by the Tampico veterans, and commanded by the brave La Vega, 
these guns swept down every thing before them, and covered the 
retreat of the infantry. At the same time the cavalry prepared for 
another charge. 

Perceiving that nothing decisive could be accomplished while the 
Mexicans retained these guns, General Taylor ordered Captain May 
to charge them with his dragoons. That order was welcome. As 
the captain rode back to his command, each eye was bent upon him 
with an almost agonizing expression. " Men," he exclaimed, " follow," 
and instantly that troop were plunging towards the rocks of the 
Resaca. On they swept like some living thunderbolt until they 
reached Colonel Ridgely, by whom they were halted till he had 
drawn the enemy's fire. Then those fiery horsemen, with their arms 
bared to the shoulder, and their sabres glittering in the sun, swept 
on toward the opposing batteries. Grim and silent, the enemy 
awaited their approach, with the ignited matches close to the cannon. 
Nearer and nearer the dragoons approached ; it seemed like mocking 
death — one of those terrible moments when the mind dares not think. 
A roar like thunder broke the suspense, and eighteen horses with 
seven men, reared and screamed, and fell dead. Lieutenant Sackett 
was thrown into the midst of the enemy ; Lieutenant Inge was shot 
through the throat. ,But nought could stop the survivors. Leaping 
on the breaches of the cannon, they overthrew the cannoneers, and 
drove back the Tampico regiment with their sabres. These were 
repulsed but. a moment — they rushed back to their stations, seized 
the horses' bridles, and fought hand to hand with the riders. Again 
they were rolled back, and again returned, climbing over heaps of 
their fallen companions, and planting their standard by the principal 
battery. La Vega, their general, black with the filth of battle, stood 
among his fallen heroes, and called the survivors to their posts 



DEFENCE OF FORT BROWN. 



817 



Nobly did they second his call, and closed about him like a wall of 
iron. But concentrating his force, May again rushed on them, break- 
ing their ranks, and capturing La Vega himself. Slowly and sullenly 
that shattered band left their guns. Tearing the flag from its staff, 
one of them wrapped it around his body and attempted to escape ; but 
weary and wounded, fi 11 down through loss of blood and was captured. 
Thus was won the battle of Resaca. Flight and confusion suc- 
ceeded to the Mexicans, and as the setting sun shed his last ray, it 
flashed over mangled, broken forms, and plunging horses, and gar- 
ments rolled in blood. Crowds of fugitives fled toward the river, 
pursued by the fierce roar of artillery, and the tramp of vengeful 
cavalry. One by one fell in the road from exhaustion and terror; 
whole parties were swept into the river by the rushing cavalry, until 
the water foamed and boiled with the awful mass. Their only bark 
pushed from the shore with its heavy freight, and then one shriek 
of anguish rose up from the wretches on shore. Eleven hundred 
men who had marched with warrior pride to the field of Palo Alto, 
were now lying still and cold on the plains of Texas. 

v -rOR had the little fort on the river been 
idle. On the 3d of May, all the bat- 
teries in Matamoras opened a heavy 
cannonade, and soon after the Mexicans 
crossed the river, and poured forth 
heavy discharges from their field bat- 
tery. But the little garrison were not 
dismayed. Hour after hour, day and 
night, surrounded by many times their 
number, they hurled defiance at the foe, 
and prepared for the fierce struggle of an assault. When their 
ammunition was almost exhausted, they sat sullenly down and 
waited the onset of the enemy. On the 6th, their commander Major 
Brown, was mortally wounded by a bomb, yet still his men bore. on. 
On the 8th, the sound of distant cannon broke upon their ears ; they 
sprang upon the parapets and listened ; again and again it echoed 
along, and then wild cheers followed each report. They knew that 
General Taylor had met the enemy ; and when on the following day 
his little army emerged from the neighboring thickets, in pursuit of 
the Mexicans, one shout arose from the fort, that drowned for a 
moment the noise of battle. 

The capture of Matamoras, and the neighboring ports, followed 
these victories. After refreshing his troops, and receiving reinforce- 
ments, General Taylor marched for Monterey, in the neighborhood 
of which he arrived on the 19th of September. 

52 




818 ZACHARV TAY10R. 

On the 21st this strong city was attacked at two stations by the 
main army, while General Worth led a division against the forts on 
a neighboring hill. The details of this fearful struggle are a series 
of rapid movements, brilliant assaults and chivalric combats. Gene- 
rals Twiggs and Butler, Colonel May's dragoons and the Texas 
volunteers became involved between three fires directed against them 
from strongly built forts. Here, hour after hour, they stood in the 
jaws of death, while the old town rocked with the thunder of artil- 
lery ; companions dropping on every side, and the balls ringing and 
whistling in showers around them. High over the scene of slaughter 
May and Twiggs were heard exhorting their heroes to the charge ; 
while Butler's troops, sweeping on with the bayonet, overthrew the 
opposing cavalry, and rushed almost, to the guns of the fort. But 
Mexico saw her danger, and calling all her troops around, prepared 
to meet it. At each burst of lurid flame, the balls broke and crushed 
the living masses, until our companies were completely riddled. In 
gloomy rage the troops were torn from the bloody scene, while the 
shouts of exulting Mexicans rent the air. 

But the triumph of the latter was short. Captain Backus having 
climbed upon a tannery near the fort, poured into it a deadly fire of 
musketry. Before the astonishment attending this unexpected attack 
had subsided, General Quitman descended upon it like a torrent, 
leaped the embrasures, wheeled round the cannon, and drove off the 
Mexicans with the bayonet. 

Now the battle recommenced with renewed fury. Exasperated 
by their loss, the Mexicans launched from thirty heavy cannon an 
avalanche of liquid fire, that tore up massive stones and bulwarks, 
and scattered them into the air like leaves in autumn. Whole sec- 
tions melted under this appalling shower, and General Butler was 
wounded, and retired from the field. The rapid charges of Colonel 
Garland against the second fort were unsuccessful, and the command 
was withdrawn to the captured station. 

About this time a body of lancers wound slowly round the wall 
of the city, toward the battery opposite the citadel. At seeing them, 
Captain Bragg galloped forward, and by a few well-directed charges 
drove them back, with loss. 

On the 23d, a grand attack was made upon all the Mexican sta- 
tions. Maddened by heavy losses, the American rangers burst into 
the houses, tore the skirmishers from the windows, and bored through 
the side walls toward the central plaza. The dull sound of the pick- 
axe contrasted strangely with those terrible reports which were 
shaking earth and air, and crushing the haughtiest buildings. Streets 
and squares were thus passed until the troops were in the vicinity of 



BATTLE OF BUENA VIST, 



819 




Street Fight at Monterey. 

the principal plaza. Here they halted, issued from the houses, and 
commenced a cannonade. This renewed the general action. Soon 
the walls of the great cathedral were observed to totter, and at 
length with an awful crash a portion fell inwards. A wild shout 
arose from the assailants, the cannon ceased for one moment, and 
then dimly borne over the tumult, came the wail of suffering anguish. 
A roar of artillery succeeded, as though death were ashamed that 
its work should be known. Until near sunset our troops toiled, and 
fought, and wrestled for the victory, although opposing a securely 
intrenched foe of three times their number. They were then with- 
drawn to await, the arrival of General Worth's division. 

This officer, after capturing the Bishop's Palace and other re- 
doubts, had entered the city and penetrated toward the square, on 
the side opposite General Taylor. Night, however, closed the scene 
of carnage, and both armies prepared for a final struggle on the 
ensuing day. 

On the 24th, proposals for a capitulation were received from the 
Mexican General Ampudia, and negotiations ensued which resulted 
in a surrender of the city and public stores to the army of General 
Taylor. The enemy marched into the interior on parole, the officers 
and soldiers retaining most of their arms, together with a battery of 
artillery 

The crowning point of General Taylor's career was the battle of 
Buena Vista. Hitherto we have seen him contending with generals 



S20 



ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



of little popularity ; now he was to engage one, on whom the nation 
leaned with entire confidence, and to second whom, it was willing 
to make any sacrifice of men or money. 

Buena Vista is a small village about seven miles south of Saltillo. 
At some distance from it is the deep gorge of Angostura, surrounded 
by rocks, hills and ravines, and holding the key of a position which 
for defensive warfare, is perhaps not surpassed by any other on the 
continent. Here with his little army of five thousand men, General 
Taylor waited for twenty-one thousand under the best general in 
Mexico. It was a brilliant sight to behold that host, stretching over 
the distant hills, in hurried march to the scene of slaughter. Far as 
the eye could reach, infantry, cavalry, and artillery flashed in the 
morning sun and shaded all the plain. Then they scattered in every 
direction, arranging their artillery, moving into line, and choosing 
stations for the attack. In the afternoon, a party of lancers wound 
round the heights to the left of the American position, with the inten- 
tion of making a charge. They were followed by some infantry 
companies, and one of artillery, who commenced an attack in that 
quarter. The noise of cannon sounded strangely along those solitary 
cliffs, and the echoes bounded from one to the other, as though in 
playful mockery. Considerable skirmishing took place, and the 
troops of both armies manoeuvred till night. 

Scarcely had daylight appeared in the east on the 23d, than the 
trampling of men, the gallop of horses, and the roar of cannon, told 
that the fearful drama was opening. Reinforced during the night, 
the enemy now poured upon our left a living mass that seemed clad 
in fire and steel. All along that moving, shouting mass, thousands 
of muskets united their startling vollies, while a pall of smoke rolled 
along the rocking heights, and hid the combatants from view. Yet 
in that terrible moment, ere the excitement of contest had strung the 
nerves to indifference, Coloned Marshall beheld unmoved, the rustl- 
ings of an army, and calling his little band around him, prepared for 
their charge. Gallantly did they wrestle for victory for three dread- 
ful hours, till many a gallant form sank low, and the sharp rocks ran 
red with human blood. When the sun arose the armies were rushing 
and rolling over the bloody plain, while high over all, the din of war 
soared above the scene and rolled in broken echoes in the distance. 

Yet this was but the beginning of the fray. At eight o'clock, one 
dense, deep column came on in steady movement against the Ameri- 
can centre. The eye of Washington and his artillerists watched their 
movement, as he waited in stern silence their approach. On they 
came, over rocks and ledges, and ravines, rising and lowering, as if 
the whole mass were gifted with one soul. They passed artillery 



BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 



821 



range, and a wild shout arose, tbe fond anticipation of victory. Ere 
its tones had ebbed away, another noise was heard — the sound of 
death. From side to side of that living column the heavy balls 
ploughed their maddening way, sweeping down the young, the brave, 
the ambitious in weltering heaps. Then the thrilling cries of com- 
mand, the closing of the severed ranks, and the onward tread suc- 
ceeded. But a second and third time that dread battery poured 
forth, tearing and scattering the column like the sweep of a hurricane. 
Panic-struck, the lines rolled back, and when another roar came 
forth thousands sent up a yell of horror, and rushed back over groan- 
ing piles, and flying masses, leaving behind them their bleeding, 
dying comrades. 

With grief and dismay the Mexican general beheld the rout of 
this column, and prepared to redeem it. Under cover of the rocks, 
his cavalry and a large infantry force united in one body, and issued 
forth to assault the left wing. This had been the first point of attack, 
and was now reinforced by the Illinois and Indiana regiments, and 
the artillery of Captain O'Brien. 

IDING along his lines, General Lane 
pointed to the coming hosts, and called 
on each man to remember that he was 
an American. Throwing the artillery 
rapidly forward he ordered the second 
Indiana regiment to support it, and 
placing himself by the soldiers of 
Illinois, watched the progress of his 
foe. They came in massive column, 
certain of victory, shouting as though 
in pursuit. Then the battle opened. 
Every eye was fixed upon this quarter, and many a brave heart who 
all that morning had toiled amid blood and death, now grew sick at 
the anticipated result. Sweeping through the heavy Mexican phalanx, 
the shot mowed down whole columns, and levelled the cavalry like 
an Alpine storm, yet sternly the lines closed, and, without giving a 
glance at the wounded, pressed on. Then another road opened ; 
swords and maBgled masses flew in the air, and scores of horses 
rolled over each other in death. Yet now the blood of Mexico was 
aroused. With pale compressed lips, and eyes that flashed fire, they 
spurned the dead beneath their feet, and pressed forward. The 
American force began to melt at their approach, and the artillery was 
surrounded with the dead. But sweeping over the field through 
death and smoke, General Lane urged his troops to be firm ; while 
O'Brien, leaping from his horse seized a gun, and though the balls 




822 ZACHARY TAYLOR. 

leaped,, and whistled around him, kept the artillerists to their guns. 
Now a horse would plunge and fall dead, then a ball would tear a 
comrade from his side, and sweep amid the supporting infantry. 
Still the battle went on, rocking and thundering in the mountains and 
flaming along the plain like the eruption of a volcano. 

But. there was a page dark and unfortunate in this tale of glory. 
At this moment, when the energies of the every man was required to 
ensure victory, the Indiana regiment moved rapidly from their station 
and commenced an inglorious retreat. Appalled at the sight, the 
staff-officers galloped across their path, and seizing the regimental 
colors called the troops to remember their country. But the appeal 
was vain; a few brave spirits disengaged themselves from the mass, 
but the rest left the field and its glory, to be won by worthier hands. 

Inspired by this success, the Mexicans poured on in exulting 
shouts, which drowned the hurry of battle. Sure of victory, each 
lancer rose in his stirrup, and dashed down on the artillery, in the 
fiercest haste. Yet those gallant few, were undismayed. Exhausted 
with incessant labor, and deserted by their infantry, they bore up 
through danger and uproar, until every horse was killed or wounded, 
and but a few men, standing here and there told where the company 
had been. Yet the stern captain refused to yield, until his soldiers, 
less in number than the cannon, fell into confusion. Then remount- 
ing his wounded horse he sullenly ordered a retreat ; the next 
moment the opposing cavalry dashed on the battery, and his guns 
were lost. 

But at that moment the shrill voice of General Wool came ringing 
over the field — ' Illinois, Illinois to the rescue,' and then the fiery sons 
of the west, panting for conflict and revenge, opened their vollies of 
musketry. But that living avalanche was not to be stopped. Then 
the Mississippians planted themselves in the fatal path and awaited 
the struggle. All around farther than sight could reach, horsemen, 
artillery and infantry, were concentrating upon these devoted regi- 
ments. The wild blood danced through every form, and hope, and 
fear, were intensely bent upon one point. Still the tall form of Wool 
was seen, gliding from company to company, shouting that stirring 
appeal and filling every heart with fire. 

But before the charge another voice was heard, more thrilling, 
more potent than that of Wool. Sweeping along on his white horse, 
General Taylor rode between the armies, while his name went up 
from three thousand voices, and each soul was wound to enthusiasm 
at the mighty shout. Before that wide battle cry was over the 
Mexicans were towering upon our troops for the final struggle. Then 
Captain Bragg galloped into battery, and the next moment thousands 



BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 



823 




General Taylor at iiuenj. \ i 

of rifles, muskets and heavy ordnance, were scattering death amid op- 
posing multitudes. The armies reeled to and fro, under the dreadful 
discharges, while whole ranks sank down beneath their comrades' feet. 
The reputation of each nation, each general, each soldier was at stake. 
Again and again, the enemy were poured upon our ranks, and as often 
rolled back before the showers of iron hail that crushed and over- 
whelmed their columns. Sometimes there was a pause, and the moans 
of the dying and shrieks of the wounded rose on the air. Then the 
battling, the trampling and shouting, mingled in one horrible din, and 
mounted up to heaven. Nobly did our troops do their duty. Every 
advance of the Mexicans was met with unshaken fortitude, and each 
soldier fought as though victory rested with him. Broken and repuls- 
ed, the enemy commenced their disastrous retreat. Strewed over the 
ledges and gullies, or piled in black masses, their dead and disabled 
marked the whole line of their march. Yet over these the terrified 
lancers rode, grinding them into the earth, and completing what the 
artillery had begun. Hanks were trodden down by their comrades, or 
whirled over the slippery rocks. Then they burst among the infantry, 
overthrowing column after column, and scattering the flower of ihe 
army like chaff. On the shouting Americans poured, blighting those 
splendid companies with their terrible discharges, and sweeping the 
entire field. Still the war-cry of Wool, the shout for Taylor went up 
and urged the troops to pursuit. Far in advance of their companions, 
the Kentucky regimenl, under Clay and McKee, pushed after the 
fugitives, until they became entangled among the ra\ ines and passes, 
on the left. Seizing this favorable moment, the cavalry wheeled 



824 



ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



around arid attacked these troops with their whole force, and the 
fearful work once more commenced. All day those gallant sons of 
Kentucky had toiled and fought ; and now pent up among rocky 
gorges, and facing an entire army, they struggled on till night. Their 
colonels fell dead ; but round their bodies the soldiers gathered, and 
fought hand to hand with their cruel foe. But the contest was too 
unequal. Back through the ravines, where they had lately passed 
in triumphant pursuit, they were now driven, and the day once more 
seemed lost. But the artillery again met the enemy, drove them 
back, and secured the victory. General Taylor had triumphed. 

Overcome by exhaustion, the Americans sank upon the field in 
their equipments, and night closed upon the scene of slaughter. 
Two thousand friends and foes were already on the field, dead, dying 
and wounded. Groans of agony, shrieks of pain, had succeeded to 
the thrilling shouts of the day, and were making night hideous. In 
the morning those mangled heaps were bounding and elastic with 
life ; now they were maimed for ever. 

This great battle, by far the most remarkable of the war, was the 
last military achievement of General Taylor. The smallness of his 
force, repeatedly diminished to increase that of General Scott, hin- 
dered him from advancing into the interior; and he remained inactive 
near Monterey until December, 1847, when he obtained leave of 
absence, in order to visit the United States. His reception was most 
enthusiastic, and in every city through which he passed preparations 
on the most magnificent scale were made for his entertainment. 




D«;i-sce of Fort 1 . 




MAJOR GENERAL WINFIELD SCOTT. 




IRGINTA, which has given so many valuable 
men to our country, was the birthplace of 
the present commander-in-chief of the Ameri- 
can forces. He was born near Petersburg, 
June 13th, 1786. Of his childhood we know 
nothing, except that he received his early 
education at a village school, and was after- 
r ■',.'' w;tnls placed at William and Mary College, 

^ where he studied law. The unsettled con- 

dition of our foreign relations caused him to abandon his profession, 
and turn his attention to military affairs. In 1807, after the affair of 
the Chesapeake, he joined a troop of Petersburg horse, and in the 
following year (May 3d,) entered the regular army as captain of light 
artillery. His commission was given him by President Jefferson in 
person. 

The military career of General Scott has been rapid and brilliant. 
From its very commencement, fortune seems to have marked him 

825 



826 



WINFIELD SCOTT. 




Queenstown. 

as her peculiar favorite. At Queenstown Heights, when but a colonel, 
an accident placed him in chief command of a regiment, in which 
station he behaved with such consummate skill and bravery, as to 
win the highest approbation. Having crossed the river with a small 
party, he routed a company of the British, and was following them 
rapidly, when an overwhelming force advanced against him. At 
this stirring moment a soldier rushed up to him with the intelligence 
that the militia who had been ordered to support his movement could 
not be induced to cross the river. Death now stared him in the 
face ; but, undismayed by the intelligence, he called his little band 
round him, and prepared for the encounter. The British came 
pouring on in one huge mass, while the Indians from behind rocks 
and trees, seconded their movements. Yet with a spirit worthy of 
that terrible day, the Americans rallied around their commander, and 
for some time maintained the attack with unflinching firmness. They 
then began to waver, and many lowered themselves down the steep 
bank to the river's edge. Scott then determined on a capitulation. 
At the risk of his life he bore a flag of truce to the British general, 
obtained honorable terms, and surrendered his command. 

Scott was soon exchanged, and on May 27th, 1813, led the 
advance of the Americans in the attack upon Fort George, He 
crossed the Niagara amid a shower of musketry from a concealed 
foe, moved rapidly up the rugged bank, clearing it of the enemy as 



CAPTURE OF FORT GEORGE. 



827 




Capture of Fort George. 

he went, and passed on toward the fort. The remainder of the 
command then arrived, captured the fort at the point of the bayonet, 
while Scott with his own hand tore down the British flag. A hot 
pursuit of the enemy then commenced, and lasted until night. 

Upon the occasion of the battle of Chippewa, (July 5, 18 14,) the 
services of General Scott were many and arduous. For a while he 
sustained the shock of the combined British army, and afterwards 
led the brilliant charge which decided the fortune of the day. Three 
weeks after, (July 25th,) a more decisive battle took place near the 
Niagara Falls. It was commenced by General Scott, who in passing 
a wood with his division, unexpectedly found himself in front of the 
entire British army. Unable to retreat without seriously marring 
the prospects of the day, he awaited their attack and sustained it 
firmly until the main body came to his assistance. The sun had now 
set, yet hour after hour the fierce conflict rolled on ; and the thun- 
ders of artillery, the rushings of combat, and shouts of officers, 
mingled with the deafening roar of the falls, and rolled far and wide 
along the plains of Canada. On the awful scene the pale full moon 
looked down with a soft lustre, contrasting strangely with the work 
of death below. 

As the battle went on, Scott's command became engaged between 
two British columns, and was in clanger of being outflanked. By 
active manoeuvring, he escaped this danger, and uniting w r ith some 



828 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

fresh troops under General Ripley, assisted in driving back the 
enemy's two wings, and keeping possession of the ground they had 
occupied. 

But the centre of the enemy, defended by a park of heavy artil- 
lery, still remained firm. To complete the victory, it was necessary 
to capture this position, although the undertaking was apparently 
desperate. General Brown rode to Colonel Miller, and said, " Sir, 
can you take that battery 1" " I will try, sir," was the answer, and his 
command was immediately in motion. General Scott being well 
acquainted with the road, accompanied the colonel as guide. Few 
charges in the history of our country have ever equalled that. En- 
veloped in shrouds of smoke, line after line thinning before them, 
while far in the distance one terrible roar and sheet of flame burst 
forth, then closed, then re-opened again, those iron men followed 
their colonel in silence. Around them the ground was reeling with the 
awful reports, yet they heard nothing, heeded nothing. Nearer and 
nearer they swept to that battery, and louder, and quicker, and 
fiercer the artillery sent its blasting showers into their melting ranks. 
One moment there was a pause in the march ; but the loud voice of 
the leader rising over the uproar of battle reinspired each heart. 
Now the flames flashed in. their faces, and the foe could be seen, like 
evil spirits, wrapped in fire, and controlling the work of death ; then, 
like one wide volcano, every cannon opened its last tremendous blast, 
and groans and shrieks of horror, as man rolled over man, told of 
its awful effect. Fierce foemen sprang to the struggle of death, and 
the massive smoke hid their deeds from view. The ring of the bayo- 
net, the rushings of soldiery, broke through the awful gloom, suc- 
ceeded by the stern tones of resentment, and one wild shout of 
victory. The battery was carried. Again and again the enemy 
stormed along the height to regain it; but the tall form of Scott 
gliding among his troops, filled each American with fire, and the 
broken columns of Britain rolled back in wild disorder. And when 
those captured guns opened upon their reeling ranks, one by one 
they broke and fled, and the victory was gained. 

In this engagement General Scott was twice wounded, and for 
a while his life was despaired of. After lingering in New York for 
about a month, he was carried to Philadelphia, and placed under the 
care of Drs. Chapman and Physick, who at length restored him to 
health. 

Not long after the conclusion of the War, General Scott was com- 
missioned to visit Europe, and ascertain the disposition of different 
monarchies respecting the revolutionary movements of Spanish 
America. He employed his leisure in recruiting his health and per 



BLACK HAWK WAR. Q29 

fecting himself in a knowledge of European tactics, of which he 
prepared a valuable digest. 

The long peace succeeding the war of 1812 afforded little oppor- 
tunity for the display of military abilities. Yet during this time 
Scott was not unprofitably employed. His favorite profession en- 
grossed his attention, and from time to time led to suggestions to the 
war department on various interesting points. 

In 1832 Scott was appointed to take charge of "Black Hawk's 
war." The history of the individual who gave title to this move- 
ment is replete with those tales of wild and cruel darino- which at 
that time rendered the name of Indian one of terror. Black Hawk 
was a native of Illinois, and in early life had been distinguished 
among the western tribes for his bravery and energy, and the suc- 
cess of his numerous expeditions. When Illinois was admitted into 
the Union, and the continual tide of emigration rendered the situa- 
tion of the Indians somewhat cramped, they became dissatisfied, and 
regarded the whites as robbers of a territory the right to which the 
red men had never legally yielded. So great was the influx of emi- 
gration, that the Sacs and Foxes were soon completely surrounded, 
and the new settlers found it necessary to encroach on their lands in 
order to hasten their departure to the west. 

In 1827, when these tribes were absent upon a fishing excursion, 

the whites fired their village, and reduced forty houses to ashes. The 

Indians however did not resent this act, but quietly rebuilt their 

dwellings. Aggressions were then continued upon them until at 

length the Indians took up arms. About the same time the American 

government sold all the lands belonging to the red men, and advised 

them to remove. Indignant at being forced to abandon the graves 

of their ancestors, a number from each tribe rallied around Black 

Hawk, and determined to remain at all hazards. Accordingly after 

having been transported beyond the Mississippi they recrossed that 

river, alleging that they had been invited by the Potawatamies, near 

Rock river, to spend the summer with them and plant corn on their 

lands. They did no harm along the road, and there is every reason 

to believe that hostilities would not at that time have commenced, if 

the whites had acted equally well. But they provoked the Indians 

in the most brutal manner. A small party in advance of the main 

body were attacked by some mounted militia, and all murdered 

except one. He carried news of the massacre to Black Hawk, who 

at once determined on revenge. He therefore planned an ambuscade 

into which the militia were enticed, who on receiving the fire of the 

Indians became panic struck, and fled in disorder with the loss of 

fourteen men. 

51 



830 



W INFIELD SCOTT. 




HE Indians now separated themselves into small 
parties, proceeded in different directions, and fell 
upon the settlements, which at that time, were 
thinly scattered over the greater portion of the 
state. Here they committed such outrages, that 
the whole state was in the greatest excitement 
Governor Reynolds ordered out two thousand 
additional militia, who, on the 10th of June assembled at Hennepin, 
on the Illinois river, and were soon engaged in pursuit of the Indians. 
On May 20th, 1832, the Indians attacked a small settlement on 
Indian creek, killed fifteen persons and took considerable plunder. 
On the 14th of June, five more persons were killed at Galena. 
General Dodge being in the neighborhood, set out with thirty mounted 
mer), in pursuit of the Indians. On the road he killed twelve 
unarmed Indians and soon after came up with Black Hawk on the 
Wisconsin. A battle was fought in which the Indians were defeated 
with considerable loss. 

On the first of August, Black Hawk fell in with the Warrior steam- 
boat, and not wishing to fight, displayed two white flags. The 
Americans however fired upon him, and a battle ensued, in which the 
chief lost twenty-three killed and a number wounded. Next day the 
army of General Atkinson overtook the Indians and fought a great 
battle, in which the hostile force was entirely annihilated, losing in 
killed and wounded upwards of two hundred. 

During these unhappy transactions General Scott was sent with 
one thousand men, to arrest by a decisive blow the progress of all 
hostilities. He embarked on the lakes in July, and was hastening 
to the seat of war, when an enemy, more formidable than the Indian 
rifle, attacked his troops and broke up the expedition. This was the 
Asiatic cholera, which in 1832, passed over our country like the 
simoom, sweeping into one wide grave the young and old, the soldier 
and citizen. Of the whole expedition that sailed from Buffalo, no 
more than four hundred and fifty arrived at Chicago. After paying 
every attention to his suffering soldiers, Scott, set out for the Missis- 
sippi, and joined General Atkinson the day after his battle with Black 
Hawk. He immediately commenced preparations for receiving the 
submission of the Indian tribes. 

But the pestilence had a shaft for the wild west, as well as for the 
Atlantic states. Early in August symptoms of disease appeared at 
Rock island, and in a few days, the minister of death was pouring 
his wrathful vial upon those devoted men. Companies melted down 
to mere shadows, and the survivors, forgetting military discipline, left 
the camp and fled wildly into the interior. But the lonely wilderness 



SCOTT PACIFIES THE INDIANS. 



831 



was no refuge from the plague. One by one they sank upon the 
road-side, and moaned and writhed in the agonies of death. The 
citizen barred his door at their approach, and the husbandman left 
his cottage forever. For miles around the Mississippi, dead soldiers 
were scattered here and there, under trees, rocks and bushes, in some 
places mangled and partially devoured by the wolves and hogs. 

Amid these terrible scenes, Scott displayed qualities more noble 
than those which had covered him with glory at Niagara. He might 
have intrusted the sick to physicians, and shut himself from con- 
tamination, excusing all deserters by the circumstances under which 
they labored. But he acted another part. He moved from couch 
to couch, comforting the afflicted, cheering the desponding, and set- 
ting an example to all. He was physician, comforter, father. 

In about a month, the cholera began to disappear, and soon this 
dread foe was found no more in the army. Negotiations then com- 
menced with the Indians, and were conducted in a spirit of harmony 
rarely witnessed between the red man and the white. By his admir 
rablc attention to the wants and little national vanities of the Indians, 
General Scott won their affection, and hastened to a great extent 
their peaceable removal to the west. The two great chiefs, Keokuck 
and Black Hawk, became his personal friends, and visited him some 
years after, while in the eastern states. 

After his return from these scenes, Scott had been with his family 
but a few days when he received notice to repair immediately to 
Washington. The state of South Carolina was in arms against the 
genera] government on the subject of nullification. These difficulties 
had arisen in consequence of the tariff of 1828, which imposed 
duties on imported goods, higher than had ever been laid before, 
and with the avowed purpose of protecting American manufacturers. 
South Carolina and some of the other southern states resented this 
act as unjust to themselves and unconstitutional, demanding at the 
same time its repeal. The dispute continued until 1832, when the 
legislature of South Carolina passed an act ordering a convention of 
the people, to take into consideration the several acts of the Con- 
gress of the United States, imposing duties on foreign imports for 
the protection of domestic manufactures, or for other unauthorized 
objects ; to determine on the character thereof, and to devise the 
means of redress. This body met at Columbia, November 19th, 
and passed an ordinance, " to provide for arresting the operation of 
certain acts of the Congress of the United States, purporting to be 
taxes, laying duties and imposts on the importation of foreign com- 
modities." This instrument pronounced the tariff null, void, and no 
law, nor binding upon the state, its officers or citizens ; declaring it 



832 



WINFIELD SCOTT. 



unlawful to enforce duties under the act, and declaring [Section 6th,] 
" if the general government should employ force to carry into effect 
its laws, or endeavor to coerce the state by shutting up its ports, 
that South Carolina would consider the Union dissolved, and would 
proceed to organize a separate government." Matters were now 
approaching a crisis. The least spark of rashness or obstinacy would 
explode the train which had so long been gathering, and plunge the 
country into the horrors of civil war. 

It was for the purpose of being intrusted with the military com- 
mand in the south, that Scott received orders to report himself at 
Washington. His arrival in Charleston, (November 28th) was the 
signal for the greatest excitement. For delicacy, perplexity, and 
singularity, the situation in which he now was, had never before been 
realized by an American general. The slightest act, an expression 
of opinion, a single look on his part might have severed the Union 
for ever. The importance of the duties assigned to the general by 
the government, is manifested by the fact, that the injunction of 
secrecy still rests upon the greater part of his instructions. 

On the 10th of December, President Jackson issued a proclama- 
tion, avowing the supremacy of the general government, condemning 
the proceedings of the nullifiers and South Carolina legislature, and 
calling on every citizen to rally round the cause of the Union. The 
refractory state was not however intimidated. She protested against 
the proclamation, and still determined to maintain her cause at all 
hazard. 

Things were in this condition when Congress met. The debates 
in this body upon the tariff and nullification were long, animated, 
and exciting ; but resulted in nothing, except increased exasperation 
of the two parties, until February 10th, when Mr. Clay introduced 
a compromise bill, which met the approbation of the South Carolina 
members, and terminated all further proceedings. 

The part performed by General Scott at this period cannot be too 
highly appreciated. Great actions, deeds on whose consequences 
are suspended the fate of nations, are not confined to the battle field. 
Often their operations are silent and unnoticed, like the pivots of 
machinery, which though supporting and controlling the whole struc- 
ture, are themselves unseen. The course pursued by the general, 
with regard to both parties, will ever be admired by the statesman, 
the patriot, and the philanthropist. 

We next behold General Scott amid the vexatious operations of 
the Seminole war. In January, 1836, he was ordered to Florida, 
where he arrived about the middle of February. 

A glance at the cause of hostilities in this quarter will be neces- 



WAR IN FL0E1DA. 



833 




Omathla. 

sary, in order to understand the true position of General Scott, upon 
assuming- the command. A treaty, providing that the Creeks and 
Se.minoles should remove to the west, had been violated by the cele- 
brated chief, Osceola, who for this cause was arrested and put in 
irons. Soon after, some Indians were assaulted by the whiles, and 
a skirmish ensued, in which two or three were wounded on each 
side. On the 6th of August, 1835, a mail carrier was murdered by 
a party of Indians, who subsequently escaped all pursuit. Soon 
after, [September,] a friendly chief, Omathla, was murdered under 
similar circumstances. 

These occurrences induced General Clinch, then commanding in 
that quarter, to call on the general government and that of Florida 
for reinforcements. From the latter he received six hundred and 
fifty troops, with which he proceeded toward the Withlacoochee. 
On the 23d of December, a part of this force, consisting of the 
companies of Captains Gardner and Frazer, United States army, 
commanded by Major Dade, marched from Tampa Bay toward Fort 
Kin?. On the 28th, this command, consisting of eight, officers and 
one hundred and two non-commissioned officers and privates, were 
attacked by the Indians, and cut to pieces. But four escaped. 
During the battle, a small breastwork was constructed, which proved 
to be the grave of both officer and soldier. When the firing had 

53 



834 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

ceased, the Indians rushed into the fort, scalped and massacred the 
wounded, and carried away everything of value. This was the 
most melancholy transaction of the whole war. 

On the 31st, another action was fought between a detachment of 
General Clinch's army, numbering two hundred men, and six hun- 
dred Indians. The latter were defeated with heavy loss. Soon 
after, General Gaines arrived in Florida, but confined his operations 
to the collecting of supplies for a vigorous campaign. He then trans- 
ferred his command to General Clinch, and returned to New Orleans. 
Clinch retired with his whole force to Fort Drane, losing five killed 
and sixty wounded. 

Such was the situation of affairs when General Scott assumed 
the chief command. He divided the army into three columns, and 
marched through the hostile country to Tampa Bay. Here the 
troops were obliged to halt in consequence of sickness and absolute 
want of provisions. Those that were fit for duty were divided into 
parties, and scoured different parts of the territory. They were not 
able to effect anything of importance. The Indians were hidden in 
impenetrable swamps, in places never visited by white men, and 
where it was utterly impossible for a military force to follow them. 
The expedition consequently languished, and in July, Scott was 
superseded, and set out for Washington. 

As great dissatisfaction was evinced on account of the manner in 
which this campaign was conducted, a court of inquiry was convened, 
[Oct. 3d, 1836,] to investigate the conduct of General Scott during 
the Florida and Creek campaign. The court unanimously acquitted 
the general, expressing their opinion " that the plan of the cam- 
paign adopted by General Scott, was well calculated to lead to 
successful results, and that it was prosecuted by him, as far as prac- 
ticable, with zeal and ability, until recalled from the command." 

On the 29th of December, 1837, the steamboat Caroline was 
destroyed by a party of British from Canada. When the news 
reached Washington, Scott was promptly despatched to the frontier, 
to repress the outbreaks, which had arrived at an alarming height, 
and to repel the aggressions of Britain. Scott performed these duties 
in a manner the highest degree honorable and praiseworthy. He 
journeyed along the whole extent of the frontier, from Maine to 
Michigan, organized citizen soldiery from the peaceable portion of 
the borderers, and addressed large meetings of the rioters. In his 
progress he always went unarmed, except having his sword, and he 
was scarcely ever attended by troops. His appeals to the patriot- 
ism and honor of the people were attended with the happiest effects. 
Masses broke up their secret associations, and returned to their 



SUPERINTENDS THE REMOVAL OF THE INDIANS. 835 




General Scott planning the Florida Campaign. 

homes. Others who had become disaffected, concluded to leave the 
settlement of troubles with the general government ; and all approved 
of the course of General Scott. All dissensions finally ceased, and 
the veteran general had the satisfaction of knowing that he had 
contributed in no little measure to the prevention of a devastating 
war. 

Early in 1838, General Scott was sent to the Cherokee country 
in order to hasten the transportation of the Indians to the West. 
This he did so as to win the approbation of the government and the 
affections of the unfortunate Cherokees. "To this distinguished 
man," says the Reverend Doctor Charming, "belongs the rare honor 
of uniting with military energy and daring the spirit of a philanthro- 
pist. His exploits in the field, which placed him in the first rank of 
our soldiers, have been obscured by the purer and more lasting glory 
of a pacificator and a friend of mankind. In the whole history of 
the intercourse of civilized, with barbarous or half civilized commu- 
nities, we doubt whether a brighter page can lie found than that which 
records his agencv in the removal of the Cherokees. As far as the 



836 W INFIELD SCOTT. 

wrongs done to this race can be atoned for. General Scott has made 
the expiation. 

" In his recent mission to the disturbed borders of our country, he 
has succeeded not so much by policy as by the nobleness and 
generosity of his character, by moral influences, by the earnest con- 
viction with which he has enforced on all with whom he has had to 
do, the obligations of patriotism, justice, humanity and religion. It 
would not. be easy to find among us a man who has won a purer 
fame, and I am happy to offer ihis tribute, because I would do some- 
thing, no matter how little, to hasten the time when the spirit of 
Christian humanity shall be accounted an essential attribute, and the 
brightest ornament of a public man." 

After these transactions Scott again repaired to the Canada 
border, in order to repress the difficulties which had again arisen on 
the subject of boundary. Here he remained until the question was 
adjusted by the treaty negotiated by Lord Ashburton and Daniel 
Webster. 

When the movements of the Mexicans against General Taylor on 
the Rio Grande rendered war between our country and Mexico 
inevitable, General Scott submitted a plan of operations to govern- 
ment, having for its basis a vigorous prosecution of hostilities. This 
was rejected by the war department. The general then requested 
permission to join Taylor with large reinforcements, and be ready 
for an advance upon the enemy's capital at a moment's warning. 
This was also disapproved, and Scott was obliged to remain inactive 
at Washington until November, 1846, when he received authority 
from Secretary Marcy to organize a force independent of tbat under 
General Taylor, and proceed with it to the Gulf coast. In obedience 
to this order, he reached the Rio Grande on the 1st of January, and 
immediately commenced preparations for the siege of Vera Cruz. 
On the 9th, the troops, numbering eleven thousand, were landed on 
the wide beach, near the city. " A more stirring spectacle," says 
an eye-witness, " has probably never been witnessed in America. 
In the first line there were no less than seventy heavy surf boats, 
containing nearly four thousand regulars, all of whom expected to 
meet the enemy before they reached the shore. Yet every man was 
anxious 1o be first, and plunged into the water waist deep. When 
they reached the shore, the stars and stripes were instantly floating, 
a rush was made for the sand-hills, the troops pressing onward amid 
loud shouts. Three long and loud cheers rose from their comrades 
still on board, awaiting to be embarked, and meanwhile the tops and 
every portion of the foreign vessels were crowded with spectators 
of the scene. 



BOMBARDING VERA CRUZ. 



839 



On the 22d, after summoning the city to surrender, General Scott 
opened his batteries, and the bombardment was commenced in regu- 
lar form. Its details present scenes of the most thrilling interest, 
of individual heroism and intense suffering-. The enemy were supe- 
rior in number to their assailants, and both city and castle were 
bristling with infantry. Yet while bombs and balls were fallin 0- 
round them thick as a summer shower, the Americans labored at 
their trenches, erected batteries, and completed their investment. 
All night, while the terrible drama went on, fiery streams, carrying 
winged messengers of death, traversed the air, shattering the flinty 
rocks like chaff, or crushing through walls and houses into the streets 
of Vera Cruz. Houses and battlements shook with the explosions, 
while the heavy Gulf tossed and lashed, as though participating in 
the fearful uproar. Sweeping up and down, between the fires of 
both armies, the tall form of General Scott thrilled each soldier as 
it had done a former army, near the roar of Niagara ; while here 
and there the American officers stood upon their guns and watched 
the flaming fires, as they drove into the city. Rows of buildings 
were heard crashing in the streets, while wailings of death from 
thousands of voices told of the fearful consequences. Then the 
stern old castle would vomit forth its discharges, the balls plunging 
and hissing in the water, or rattling like fallen meteors along the 
shores. 

Such was the scene during the night of the 22d. On the follow- 
ing day one of those terrific storms, denominated northers, set in, and 
a suspension of hostilities became necessary. The ocean dashed 
and roared along the shore, so as to render any communication with 
the fleet impossible; while showers of sand filled the trenches of the 
Americans as soon as opened, blinding the laborers and scattering 
their materials. This subsided during the night, and on the follow- 
ing day the bombardment recommenced with increased spirit — 
several new batteries having been opened in the morning. The 
heaviest walls crumbled before the iron bolts that were hurled 
against them, while scores of men, women and little children were 
engulfed under their ruins. The terrified, shrieking masses (lew 
from station to station, as one after another became untenable, until 
at length no place was secure. Heavy bombs, loaded with powder 
and small shot, fell and exploded among dense groups, crushing and 
mangling hundreds. 

At length the citizens crowded to General Morales, and demanded 
the opening of a negotiation for the surrender of the city, if not the 
castle. This was refused, and though clamor and anarchy were loud 
against him, the general kept his soldiers to their posts, and an 



J 



840 



W INFIELD SCOTT. 










The American Fleet saluting the Castle after the surrender of "Vera Cruz. 



nounced his resolution to die, rather than surrender. Then despair, 
tumult, discord ran wild through the city. Morales was deposed, 
and General Landero appointed in his place. Negotiations for capitu- 
lation immediately ensued, and on the 29th the garrison marched 
from hoth city and castle, laid down their arms, and departed to the 
interior. The Mexican flag was hauled down, and as our own ran 
up, it was saluted by the guns of San Juan de Ulloa and the fleet. 

The Mexican army was dismissed on condition of not again serving 
in the war, unless exchanged. The officers and soldiers retained 
their side-arms and all private effects. The public stores and mili- 
tary property, witfi both city and castle, were yielded to the United 
States. 

This siege will ever be remarkable for the great strength of the 
place attacked, the vigor of the besiegers, and their comparatively 
insignificant loss. Two officers were killed, and a few soldiers. 
The number of killed and wounded among the Mexicans is un- 
known, but. was no doubt very great. 

After refreshing his men for about two weeks, General Scott 
advanced, [April 8th,] toward the capital. On the 17th he arrived 
at the Sierra Gordo, where General Santa Anna had stationed him- 
self with eleven thousand men. The Sierra is a strong pass, situated 
among lofty rocks, and entirely controlling the road toward the inte- 
rior. The Mexican general had fortified it so carefully that it was 
considered impregnable, except in front. Further along the road 
was another hill similarly fortified, and defended by General La 



BATTLE OF SIERRA GORDO. 



841 




Vega, with three thousand men. Besides these principal works, bat- 
teries were placed at different points on the road, so as to sweep 
directly across it. In front of all these stations was the Rio de la Plan, 
a small stream between deep rugged banks. The road itself was 
broken up by gorges, hills and ravines. Such was the position which, 
although defended by eleven thousand men, General Scott was about 
to storm with eight thousand. 

jNE of the most remarkable circumstances 

! of this battle, was the scientific accuracy 

with which its every vicissitude with one 

exception was foretold by the American 

I general's order, (No. Ill,) which although 

written on the 17th day of April, is an 

exact narration of every part of the action 

' except that relating to General Pillow. 

Undoubtedly an attempt to carry Sierra 
Gordo by an attack in front, leading the 
troops three quarters of a mile in the face of the enemy's batteries, 
would have been rashness. The American general, therefore, opened 
a new road in rear of the hill, and favorable to an immediate passage 
to the Jalapa road, should the fort be carried. This labor w as effected 
on the afternoon of the 17th, during which time some of our troops 
became engaged in a skirmish with the Mexicans and carried a small 
advance redoubt. During the night the troops were engaged in lifting 
the cannon up the steep rocks and preparing for the assault of the 
following day. For eight hours they thus toiled, although previously 
worn clown by long marches, want of rest, and heavy labor. 

At daylight on the 18th, General Twiggs moved to the attack upon 
Sierra Gordo. The struggle was fierce but short. Mexico's feeble 
sons shrunk convulsively before American valor, and Sierra Gordo 
was won. 

Meanwhile General Shields with his volunteers, attacked the 
redoubt in front. Emulating the example of their comrades under 
Twiggs, the troops rushed on under a most galling fire, without 
pausing for a moment. Their general fell by a ball through the 
lungs, but the fort was carried at the point of the bayonet. The 
division then hastened to the Jalapa road to intercept the flight of 
the enemy 

Pillow was unsuccessful ; but he kept General La Vega engaged 

until the fall of Sierra Gordo, and finally assisted in capturing him. 

On the enemy's side all was now flight and confusion. That vast 

army which in the morning had appeared utterly impregnable, was 

broken, scattered, annihilated. Generals Santa Anna, Canahzo, and 



842 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

others fled through a narrow pass to Puebla. Three thousand troops, 
five generals, forty-three pieces of brass artillery, and an immense 
quantity of small arms and military stores were the rewards of 
victory. 

The total loss of the Americans was about two hundred and fifty , 
that of the Mexicans exclusive of prisoners and deserters, about one 
hundred more. 

Within less than a month after this battle, the towns of Jalapa, 
Perote, and Puebla, fell into the hands of the Americans. The army 
remained at the latter place until the 8th of August, when it resumed 
its advance toward the capital. After passing round lake Chalco, 
by an unfrequented road, in order to avoid the strong fortress of 
El Penon, the troops reached SanAugustin, [August 18th,] a village 
twelve miles south of the city. On the afternoon of the following day, 
a reconnoissance of the fortress of San Antonio took place, during 
which Captain Thornton w 7 as killed, but a heavy rain rendered an 
attack upon it that evening impracticable. The troops bivouacked 
on the open plain, without tents or blankets, and exposed to a 
drenching rain. 

At one o'clock, p. m., on the 19th, Generals Twiggs and Pillow, 
assisted by Generals P. F. Smith and Cadwalader, attacked the fortifi- 
cation of Contreras, defended by thousands of Mexicans with twenty- 
two pieces of cannon. The assault upon this place was continued for 
six hours, during which time one incessant cannonade shook the 
ground for miles around. At the same time, a large body of Mexican 
cavalry appeared in rear of the fort, as though preparing for a charge. 
About this time General Scott arrived, and perceiving the great force 
of the enemy, ordered up General Shields to assist Cadwalader and 
Colonel Riley, in watching the lancers, and also reinforced Generals 
Smith and Pillow. But the Mexicans were not dismayed. One 
wide peal of artillery burst from their heavy guns, and the fort was 
hid from view by fire and smoke. Companies diminished fearfully 
before their plunging vollies; and a position which General Smith 
had assumed with his artillery was before night abandoned. Each 
effort of the assailants was met in mad career and foiled. The 
troops finally paused, night fell on the fearful struggle, and still Con- 
treras was not gained. Weary and disappointed, they sank down 
amid the rocks and gorges of the battle field. The commander 
retired to San Augustin. At intervals during the whole night, rain 
fell in torrents, completely drenching the troops, and preventing them 
from building fires. 

Before daylight on the 20th, the commander, accompanied by 
General Worth, set. out for Contreras, for the purpose of making a 



BATTLE OF CIIUKUBUSCO. 



845 



combined attack upon the fortress. The roar of cannon, with rapid 
discharges of musketry and rifles soon assured him that the attack 
had already begun. Still he hastened forward, until a single horse 
man was seen spurring across the rugged plain with furious haste. 
It was Colonel Mason, the bearer of glorious tidings. Contreras 
had been taken by General Smith. The intrepid Riley had led the 
van through a long rugged gorge, marched directly up to the fort, 
and carried it at the point of the bayonet. Several hundred of the 
enemy were killed, thirteen hundred taken prisoners, including 
Generals Blanco, Salas, Garcia and Mendoza, and a large amount 
of stores, with twenty-two field pieces captured. The enemy fled 
towards San Pablo and Churubusco, rapidly pursued by the Ameri- 
cans ; while at the same time General Worth moved upon San 
Antonio. This was speedily abandoned by the garrison, who retired 
to Churubusco. 

The enemy now concentrated their troops in the fortification of 
Churubusco, which had been constructed in the short space of 
thirty-eight hours. The cathedral and other buildings near the fort 
were scaffolded for infantry, and every roof was lined with armed 
men. All the stores and artillery saved from Contreras, San Pablo, 
San Antonio, and San Augustin, together with a large quantity from 
the city, were here collected. 

This place was attacked by General Worth, with the flower of the 
American army. The thick growth of vegetation covering the hill 
on which the redoubt was built, embarrassed for a short time the 
operations of the Americans, and exposed them to considerable loss. 
But this difficulty being surmounted, they advanced steadily toward 
their object and'carried it in a very short time. The enemy threw 
down their arms, and fled by thousands toward the city, while the 
Americans led by Worth, drove on in hurried pursuit. Many of the 
enemy were killed in the flight, and the whole road was strewn with 
arms and clothing thrown away by the fugitives. The pursuit con- 
tinued until the Mexicans were within the city. 

" After so many victories," says General Scott, " we might, with but 
little additional loss, have occupied the capital the same evening. 
But Mr. Trist, commissioner &c, as well as myself, had been 
admonished by the best friends of peace— intelligent neutrals and 
some American residents— against precipitation ; lest by wantonly 
driving away the government and others dishonored, we might scatter 
the elements of peace, excite a spirit of national desperation, and thus 
indefinitely postpone the hope of accommodation. Deeply impressed 
with this danger, and remembering our mission— to conquer a peace- 
the army very cheerfully sacrificed to patriotism, to the great wish and 



846 WINFIELD SCOTT. 

want of our country, the eclat which would have followed an entrance 
sword in hand into a great capital. Willing to leave something to 
this republic of no immediate value to us, on which to rest her pride 
and to recover temper, I halted our victorious corps at the gates of 
the city (at least for a time), and have them now cantoned in the 
neighboring villages, where they are well sheltered and supplied with 
all necessaries. 

" On the morning of the 21st, being about to take up battering or 
assaulting positions, to authorize me to summon the city to surrender 
or to sign an armistice with a pledge to enter at once into negotiations 
for a peace, a mission came out to propose a truce. Rejecting its 
terms, I despatched my contemplated note to President Santa Anna, 
omitting the summons. The 22d, commissioners were appointed 
by the tommanders of the armies ; the armistice was signed the 23d, 
and ratifications exchanged the 21th." 

The first article of the armistice stipulated that " hostilities shall 
instantly and absolutely cease, between the armies of the United 
States of America, and the United Mexican States, within thirty 
leagues of the capital of the latter states, to allow time to the com- 
missioners appointed by the United States, and the commissioners 
to be appointed by the Mexican republic to negotiate. The armistice 
shall continue as long as the commissioners of the two governments 
may be engaged on negotiations, or until 1he commander of either 
of the said armies shall give formal notice to the other of the cessa- 
tion of the armistice for forty-eight hours after such notice." 

Negotiations then commenced between Mr. Trist the American 
plenipotentiary, and the authorities of Mexico, but the hopes of the 
friends of peace were destined to be disappointed. The Mexicans 
made demands which were considered inadmissible. All efforts at 
compromise were ineffectual, and on the 6th of September the 
ultimatum offered by Mr. Trist on the 2d was rejected, and the 
negotiations closed. On the same day General Scott wrote to the 
Mexican commander, charging him with violating the armistice by 
refusing the passage of supplies from the capital to the American 
army, and threatening the recommencement of hostilities in case 
satisfaction was not given. Santa Anna replied in a similar strain, 
expressing his astonishment at the reception of such a charge, and 
accusing the Americans of intercepting the communications with 
the capital, and of committing outrages upon peaceable citizens. 
He intimated his perfect willingness for another appeal to arms, with 
a determination to use every effort to repel invasion. 

The armistice being terminated, General Worth was sent (Septem- 
ber 8th) to attack the Molinos del Rey, a strongly fortified station in 



Battle of molinos del rey. 



849 




front of Chapultepec. When our troops were near the works, the 
enemy opened upon them a heavy fire, which mowed down whole 
companies. For a moment the advance wavered ; hut the reserve 
led by Cadwalador swept to their van, restored order and continued 
the march. At this critical moment four thousand lancers, taking 
advantage of the temporary confusion, came towering down, their 
long pennants gleaming in the sun, and their spears set for a charge. 
Colonel Duncan opened two pieces of his battery upon them, followed 
immediately after by Captain Drum; while Major Summer with two 
squadrons of dragoons, and Captain Ruff's company of mounted 
rifles, passing rapidly down under fire from the enemy's works, 
charged the head of their column. Under the rapid discharges of 
artillery their crowded ranks melted powerless away, and in a few 
minutes the whole force was flying in confusion. Twice they turned 
and rallied, but were finally scattered before the superior prowess 
of our artillerists. 

r^HE Americans then united against the fortification, 
which, after a vigorous struggle, was carried. Seven 
pieces of artillery, a large quantity of ammunition, 
small arms, &c, with about six hundred prisoners, 
were the rewards of victory. But to win these, 
some of the best officers in the army had been sacri- 
ficed, and but two of their whole number escaped having their 
horses killed under them. So terrible was the fire of the 
enemy, that while our cavalry were passing in front of the 
fort, to charge the column of lancers — a space of time not 
greater than ten seconds — they sustained a loss of six officers wound- 
ed, thirty-two privates killed and wounded, and one hundred and five 
horses. The total loss in killed and wounded was seven hundred 
and eighty-nine. On the 1 Ith, a column of cavalry sallied from the 
fort on the San Antonio road, for the purpose of capturing Captain 
Magruder's battery, which was stationed with the picket within about 
eight hundred yards of the enemy. When within fair range, the 
captain opened upon them with shot and shell, driving them back to 
the fort in some confusion. The enemy then directed their fire 
upon the battery, but with no other effect than killing one man. 

About sundown, General Twiggs, with the balance of his divi- 
sion, arrived at Piedad, and General Pillow with his command moved 
to the south of Tacubaya, and occupied a position west of Chapul- 
tepec ; Quitman's troops were stationed on the road from Tacubaya 
to the city of Mexico. Worth remained in Tacubaya. 

At daylight on the 12th, all the batteries opened upon Chapul- 
tepec. When Captain Steptoc, of Twiggs's division, commenced 

64 



850 WIN FIELD SCOTT. 

his fire, several heavy columns of the enemy left their position, and 
came within cannon range. They were driven back with loss. The 
captain then turned his attention to a fort fronting Chapultepec, and 
after an hour's cannonading drove the enemy from it, and silenced 
their guns. All day the siege batteries continued their heavy fire 
upon the castle, riddling its buildings and sweeping its defenders 
from the heights. As they fell, the fierce survivors, forgetting the 
ties of humanity in the uproar of battle, tore them from the works, 
threw them into wells and ditches, and went on with their terrible 
work. 

On the following day, General Scott selected the divisions of 
Worth and Twiggs, the flower of his army, to storm the fortress. 
When they began their march, the heavy batteries on both sides 
were opened, 'and the strongest companies dwindled away to a scat- 
tered remnant. Hour after hour did three thousand troops wrestle 
with four times their number, stationed behind almost impregnable 
works. But they were toiling for the city of Mexico, the far-famed 
halls of Montezuma. The star of victory still beamed on American 
valor, while the remembrance of Sierra Gordo, Contreras and 
Churubusco, brooding over the sons of Mexico, withered all hope 
or effort, — Chapultepec fell. 

"About four o'clock next morning," says General Scott, (Sep- 
tember 14,) " a deputation of the ayuntamiento (city council) waited 
upon me to report that the federal government and the army of 
Mexico had fled from the capital some three, hours before ; and to 
demand terms of capitulation in favor of the church, the citizens 
and the municipal authorities. I promptly replied that I would sign 
no capitulation ; that the city had been virtually in our possession 
from the time of the lodgments effected by Worth and Quitman, the 
day before ; that I regretted the silent escape of the Mexican army; 
that I should levy upon the city a moderate contribution for special 
purposes ; and that the American army should come under no terms 
not self-imposed — such only as its own honor, the dignity of the 
United States, -and the spirit of the age should, in my opinion, impe- 
riously demand and impose." 

About daylight, Generals Worth and Quitman were ordered to 
enter the city. Quitman proceeded to the grand plaza, planted 
guards, and raised the United States flag on the national palace. 
General Scott and the whole army followed soon after, taking pos- 
session of the city with much pomp. 

The flying government had released about two thousand convicts 
from the public prisons, and throughout that and the following day, 
these continued to fire from windows and tops of houses upon the 



CAPTURE OF MEXICO. 



851 




City of Mexico. 

American troops, killing some and wounding many. At first the artil- 
lery was tried on them, but owing to their concealed position it was 
not -effective. The rifle regiment and some of the infantry were then 
sent in pursuit, and the evil was soon arrested. 

The loss of the Americans in this assault was very severe. Gene- 
rals Pillow and Shields were each wounded, together with other 
valuable officers. The total loss in the valley of Mexico from the 
19th of April until the time of taking the city, was two thousand 
seven hundred and three men, of whom three hundred and eighty- 
three were officers. Their achievements equal in magnitude any 
military operations of American history. They utterly dispersed an 
army of thirty thousand men, taking a number of prisoners equal to 
themselves ; seized seventy pieces of artillery, stormed San Antonio, 
San Pueblo, Contreras, Churubusco, Molino and Chapultepec, and 
entered the capita] in triumph. 

General Scott proclaimed martial law in Mexico, but permitted 
the people to continue their usual business avocations. All excesses 
of the soldiery were rigidly punished, while at the same time the 
citizens and their soldiery were taught that they could not insult the 
American character with impunity. 




*V- 




BRIGADIER GENERAL JOHN E. WOOL. 



general in Mexico, possesses more abilities 
for carrying on a long and intricate campaign, 
than does the distinguished individual who 
forms the subject of this article. His prompt- 
ness, bravery, astonishing energy, his powers 
of concentration and indefatigable persever- 
ance, rank him among the first of those who 
have rendered his country glorious in the 
eyes of the world. His services, with the exception of those at 
Buena Vista, have been rather solid than brilliant ; but have in a 
great measure constituted the springs of that machinery which has 
resulted in the total overthrow of the Mexican power. 

John E. Wool was born in Orange county, New York, but having 
lost his father in infancy, he was placed under the care of his grand- 
father, (in Rensselaer county,) where he remained until twelve years 

852 




BATTLE OF P L AT TS B tl R G H. 853 

of age. He then entered a mercantile establishment in the city of 
Troy, and was advancing rapidly in esteem and favorable prospects, 
when a heavy fire stripped him of every thing. The approach of 
war with Great Britain turned his attention to the armv, and in 
April, 1812, lie was commissioned captain in the 13tk United States 
infantry. 

The young soldier soon found an opportunity to display his military 
ardor. At the battle of Queenstown Heights, he accompanied Colonel 
Van Rensselaer with three hundred men to the Canada side. These 
received a tremendous fire from the enemy, but pushed on, although 
almost every officer was lulled or wounded. Van Rensselaer him- 
self being badly wounded, delivered the command to Captain Wool. 
Inspired by the Enthusiasm of their young leader, the troops pressed 
up the rugged Eftcent, stormed the British batteries, and swept them 
with the bayonet. A party from Fort George reinforcing the enemy 
they again advanced, and fought hand to hand with their unyielding 
foe. Some American soldier, awed by the numerical superiority of 
the British, hoisted a white flag ; but dashing it to the ground, Wool 
rode over it, and continued the conflict. The British were a second 
time driven from the heights with the loss of General Brock. 

For his conduct in this action Wool was promoted to the rank of 
major in the 29th regiment of infantry. 

But he was soon to add fresh laurels to those which he had ac- 
quired in Canada. During the engagements attendant on the siege 
of Plattsburgh, (September, 1814,) his conduct in several severe 
skirmishes gave high promise of future abilities. On the 5th, he was 
stationed on the Beekmantown road with two hundred and fifty men, 
to watch a column of British four thousand strong. Between the 
two forces ran the Deep creek, which it was the object of the enemy 
to cross. Notwithstanding the disparity in numbers, Major Wool 
met his adversary at every point, repulsed each attempt at crossing, 
and thus hindered an attack upon the American main army, while it 
was engaged in constructing works of defence. The unequal con- 
test was maintained over a space of five miles along the creek, and 
no less than three hundred of the enemy fell. " The conduct of the 
officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers of my command," 
says General Macomb, in his official report, " during this trying occa- 
sion, cannot be represented in too high terms." Among those particu- 
larly noticed was Major Wool. 

After the war, Wool was appointed inspector-general of the army, 
an office which he occupied for more than twenty-five years. His 
duties required personal attendance from time to time at every station 
connected with our military department. They embraced operations 



854 JOHN E. WOOL. 

in all parts of the United States and her western territories. All 
the country north-west of Michigan was at the time of his appoint- 
ment one vast wilderness, with a few military posts scattered along 
Green Bay, the Mississippi, the Missouri and great lakes. Over this 
vast region, from Maine to Texas, from Florida to Council Bluffs, 
General Wool was obliged to travel annually. 

But the extent of country to he traversed was the least part of the 
difficulty. Solitary prairies were often crossed where nothing but the 
foot of the hunter and his prey, had ever disturbed the stillness ; 
roads were to be opened, temporary bridges built, woods explored, 
and mountains crossed, by a handful of men, whose only impulse 
was derived from the master spirit that, Jed them. Often, while 
journeying from one station to another, in the depth of winter, the 
road would be blocked up by snow, and the whole party be obliged 
to pass a sleepless night either in the woods, or on a plain, where no 
human habitation was for miles around. Scarcity of provisions was 
often added to other difficulties, and sometimes imminent hazard 
was run by the unavoidable employment of Indian guides. 

To a man less talented than Wool this situation would have pre- 
sented insuperable difficulties ; to him, however, they merely afforded 
an opportunity to display the untiring energy which forms so large 
an ingredient of his character. All great duties he attended to per- 
sonally, and to as many others as time would permit. No labor 
stopped him, nor expense, nor privation ; whatever was wrong, he 
removed ; whatever advantageous, he improved. Under his super- 
visal the inspectorship obtained a respectability and importance un- 
known before, and the plans he devised for its operation have been 
the basis of all similar ones since his resignation. 

Since the commencement of the Mexican war, General Wool's 
services have been distinguished for zeal, promptness and efficiency. 
His employment was voluntary, and immediately after tendering it 
to government, he was invited to Washington, where he received 
instructions from Congress to proceed to the West, and organize for 
service the volunteers of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Ken- 
tucky and Mississippi. He entered upon duty early in June, and 
finished his task in six weeks. During that short period, he visited 
nearly all the western states, communicated with governors, official 
authorities, and the departments at Washington, and stationed the 
volunteers at different places. Day after day troops poured in by 
thousands, undisciplined, unarmed, entirely unacquainted with camp 
life, and unprepared for duty or subordination. Their wants were 
to be met, their questions answered, the elements of instruction of 
Scott imparted to them, and a division made for the army of Gene- 







HIS MARCH THROUGH MEXICAN PROVINCES. 855 

ral Taylor. The fact that in July Wool sent to the Rio Grande ten 
ihousand of such troops as fought at Buena Vista, while a division of 
six thousand more remained with him at San Antonio de Bexar, is 
the highest eulogium that can be passed upon his military abilities. 
j-^ENERAL WOOL had been instructed to inarch his 
division through Texas, Coahuila and New Mexico, 
and join General Taylor on the Rio Grande. His 
progress ihrough these provinces affords an illus- 
trious example of the triumphs of discipline, and 
his ability to bring military subordination from a heteroge- 
neous mass. All provisions were paid for, the peace and 
property of the inhabitants respected, the soldiers restrained 
from committing any excesses, and the whole expedition con- 
ducted more like a friendly journey than the advance of a 
hostile army. The Mexicans were astonished and delighted with 
this treatment. Accustomed to the plunderings, extortion and out- 
rage of their own civil struggles, they had no other idea of an army 
but as a band of robbers and assassins ; but the sight of six thou- 
sand foreign men, moving through their territory without disorder, 
paying for all supplies, committing no enormities, and conducted by 
a general whose word was unappealable law, was as new to them as 
unexpected. Reaction of feeling took place ; and our army had 
advanced, but a few hundred miles before they began to experience 
the usual effects of mildness and forbearance. Annoyances of the 
outer companies ceased, supplies were furnished in large quantities, 
and the sick and wounded taken into houses, and kindly provided 
for. 

Crossing the boundary between our country and Mexico, the 
troops arrived on the enemy's soil October 12th, 184G. They then 
marched about four hundred miles to the city of Parras, situated 
near a lake of the same name. In their march they took peaceable 
possession of Presidio del Rio Grande, Nava, San Fernando, Santa 
Rosa, Monclova ami Parras, cities containing from five thousand to 
fifteen thousand souls, excepting Nava, which numbers two thousand. 
The troops spent some lime at each of them, acquainting themselves 
with Mexican manners and customs, and enjoying an apparently cor- 
dial intercourse with the citizens. / 

The line of march extended through great varieties of scenery, 
marked bv high and barren mountains, to the south and west, covered 
with traces of rich ores. These were succeeded by sterile plains 
and table lands, scantily supplied with water ; while in the interior 
were beautiful fertile valleys, embosoming the quiet Mexican cities, 
towns and haciendas, surrounded in the hazy distance by cloud- 



856 



JOHN E. WOOL. 



Following this would be a 



capped mountains covered with cedar 
picture of lonely desolation, where nothing but sterility met the eye 
of the anxious, toil-worn and thirsty soldier. The effect of the long 
marches through these regions, of the drill exercise and strict dis- 
cipline enforced by General Wool, was most salutary upon the health 
of the army. 

After accomplishing this march General Wool stationed himself 
at Monclova and Agua Nueva, where he employed his time in per- 
fecting the army discipline, and in repressing disorders. 

Early in January, all the regular force except Washington's artillery 
and a squadron of dragoons, were taken from General Wool to rein- 
force the army of General Scott. This left him with only his 
volunteers, and such recruits as were soon to arrive. 

At the battle of Buena Vista, Wool had a rare opportuntity to dis- 
play not only the results of previous labors, but his personal bravery 
and generalship. To him the management of the details of the battle 
was intrusted, and nobly did he discharge the duties of his station. 
His eagle eye pierced through the designs of the enemy as they 
moved to the battle on the morning of the 22d, and with that prompt- 
ness and accuracy which bespeak the soldier, he arranged his troops 
to meet them. Amid the dark scenes of the following day, when 
the maddening hosts, were shaking earth and air, his voice was heard 
amid the rushings of horsemen, the din of artillery, the shrieks of the 
sufferer. No movement of that intricate field perplexed him, no 
repulse disheartened him. Now he stood by the batteries and watched 
their awful sweepings, now he dashed through the shattered ranks 
of Kentucky, now his voice rang like a spirit's through the trembling 
air, calling Illinois and Mississippi to the rescue. The broken ranks 
of Indiana hurried by him in wild disorder, without disturbing the 
confidence of his piercing glance ; and with like calmness did he 
witness the danger of the Kentuckians. The chivalric officers who 
were his bosom friends, and who looked to him as to a father, were 
falling thick around him ; yet still he stood between two armies, as 
one in whose grasp hung the scales of victory. 

The great loss of officers in this celebrated battle forms one of its 
most strikiug as well as melancholy characteristics. No less than sixty- 
five were killed, comprising nearly one fourth of the whole number 
that bore commissions. Of these none were more lamented than 
Colonels Hardin, Yell, McKee and Clay. These all fell during the 
severe struggle toward the close of the day. Colonel Clay was 
carried some distance by his men after being wounded ; but finding 
escape impossible, he begged them to leave him to his fate. He 
was immediately surrounded by the savage enemy, and almost hacked 



BATTLE OF BUENA VISTA. 



857 




to pieces while bravely fighting with his sword as he lay on the 
ground. 

After this engagement Wool established his head-quarters at Agua 
Nueva, where he employed himself in repressing disturbances between 
the soldiery and inhabitants, and in watching the guerilla bands. 
Skirmishing with some of the latter took place, but no considerable 
party was either defeated or captured. In the spring of 1847, 
extensive preparations were made for a descent upon San Luis 
Potosi, the great interior depot of the Mexicans ; but when the army 
was about marching, a second demand was made [July,] for troops 
to reinforce General Scott. The expedition was therefore abandoned, 
and the two heroes of Buena Vista forced to resume a state of 
inactivity. 

Thus bv long and laborious services, Wool has won a reputation, 
second to few in the army. It is lamentable however that the genius 
which has afforded such brilliant display of its abilities should be 
cramped and confined, rendered as it were useless to the country 
which it is able to serve so well. Yet we trust the day is not far 
distant when these shackles will be removed, and Wool again be 
permitted to reap the rewards of his patient and valuable services. 




BRIGADIER GENERAL DAVID E. TWIGGS. 




ENERAL TWIGGS was born 
in Richmond county, state of 
Georgia, in 1790. He is son 
of Major-General John Twiggs, 
who acted so efficient a part in 
the Revolution as to be styled " The 
saviour of Georgia." Young Twiggs studi- 
ed law under General Thomas Flournoy, 
and had just completed a thorough theo- 
retical course, when the opening of the war 
of 1812 caused hiin to direct his atten- 
tion to a new field of distinction. Through the influence of his father 
he obtained, [March 8th, 1812,] a commission in the army as cap- 
tain of the 8th infantry, and served throughout the war. He was 
afterwards with General Jackson in his Indian wars, and appointed 
to receive the surrender of Fort St. Mark. 
858 




~«®-l?V* 



SERVICES IN THE FLORIDA WAR. 



859 




Major Ringgold. 

General Twiggs had a command in the expedition against Black 
Hawk, but was prevented from taking the field by the cholera of 1832 
In the following year he was appointed by President Jackson to super 
intend the arsenal at Augusta, while difficulties with the nullifiers 
existed. He was in the Florida war, and after the massacre of 
Dade's detachment, accompanied General Gaines as second in com- 
mand during the march from Tampa Bay to Fort King. In this 
march considerable skirmishing took place with the Indians, in which 
Twiggs was conspicuous for personal bravery. He was rewarded 
by the appointment of colonel of the 2d regiment of dragoons, and 
joined General Scott in his Florida campaign. 

During the greater part of General Taylor's march from Corpus 
Christi to the Rio Grande, Twiggs was second in command. By 
his energy and coolness he performed efficient service at the passage 
of the Colorado ; and when, as the army advanced, Point Isabel 
was discovered to be on fire, he was sent to arrest the conflagration, 
and drive off the incendiaries. He rode into town at full gallop. 



860 DAVID E. TWIGGS. 

obliged General Garcia with two hundred and fifty men to retire, 
and saved several of the burning houses. He then took possession 
of the place for General Taylor, who, arriving soon after, proceeded 
to fit it for the reception of stores. 

Twiggs accompanied the commander in his passage from the Rio 
Grande to Point Isabel, [May 1st and 2d,] and fought under him the 
battles of the 8th and 9th. His duties here were very arduous. 
The command of the whole right wing devolved upon him, compris- 
ing the infantry of Mcintosh, Ringgold's artillery, Morris and Allen's 
infantry, Churchill's artillery, part of the 4th brigade, under Gar- 
land, and the dragoons of Kerr and May. The services of the artil- 
lery on both sides are well known ; while the charge of Captain 
May swept the cannon of the enemy from the gorge of Resaca, and 
secured the final victory. 

The conduct of Colonel Twiggs, in these battles, was rewarded 
by government, [June 30th, 1846,] by promotion to the rank of 
brigadier-general. When Matamoras capitulated, he was appointed 
military governor ; and by a strict attention to the rights of both 
parties, and rigid enforcement of discipline, soon restored order 
among the citizens, and established all branches of business on a 
permanent foundation. 

ENERAL TWIGGS partook largely of the 
difficulties attending the siege of Monterey. 
When Worth's troops filed off for the Hill 
of Independence, Twiggs was sent with 
the first division to make a diversion left of the 
town, with the double purpose of attacking the ad- 
vance forts, and of favoring the movement of his 
brother officer. The fire upon his soldiers was most 
severe, and their loss in proportion. The artillery advanced to their 
support, opening upon the first fort and citadel with considerable 
effect. The Mexicans, however, maintained the position with obsti- 
nacy, confiding in the strength of their works, and the position of 
their raking batteries. But no difficulty could arrest the progress 
of our troops, or of their intrepid leader. Under showers of heavy 
musketry, cannon and howitzers, they rushed on with fixed bayonets, 
gained possession of the work, and turned the cannon upon the city. 
But their labor was not yet over. All day they had toiled and fought, 
amid blazing batteries, and death and horror, until nature was almost 
exhausted. Still there was no rest. Th,e clear voice of Twiggs ran 
through the fort calling each soldier to his station. Filling the streets 
and squares, the Mexicans came pouring on to recover the redoubt ; 
while heavy ordnance were so stationed as to intercept all retreat. 




TWIGGS AT MONTEREY. 



861 




Colonel 'Watson. 



Hour after hour, through the deepening gloom of midnight, those 
weary men stood by their cannon, worked the heavy batteries, and kept 
the swarms of Mexico at bay. One, more exhausted than his com- 
panions, would sink at his post, but only to rise again, shake off his 
languor, and begin anew the work of death. Even after the Mexi- 
cans were repulsed, no reinforcement arrived until the evening of the 
second day. 

On the 23d, we find Twiggs in close conflict with the inner 
redoubts of the city, and the buildings surrounding the central plaza. 
Here his troops were exposed without shelter to all the enemy's bat- 
teries, and continued vollies of musketry from an unseen foe. Yet 
undismayed, following such officers as Twiggs, Watson and Butler, 
they swept along the rocking streets, carrying house after house, 
until they had planted themselves before the principal plaza. Then 
the struggle grew dreadful. Whole companies melted down to 
shattered skeletons ; while the stony walls of Monterey rocked under 
the fearful explosions. General Butler was wounded and obliged to 
retire, and the second post of honor devolved upon Twiggs. Ruling 



862 



DAVID E. TWIGGS. 



along by his artillery, he exhorted each man to do his duty, pointing 
to the lofty towers of the centre, as the rewards of their labor. 
Before those batteries, walls which had stood the ravages of two 
centuries, crumbled to atoms, and the front top of the large cathedral 
was beat down into the plaza. Colonel Watson was among the killed. 
General Twiggs remained at Monterey until early in 1847, when 
he was ordered to the Gulf of Mexico, to assist in the attack upon 
Vera Cruz. After the landing had been effected, he received orders 
to occupy a position north of the city, which could be reached only 
by a long march over a rugged ascent. At nine o'clock on the 
morning of March 1 1th, his men were put in motion, and with the 
mounted rifles in advance, commenced their arduous work. On 
account of the rocks, horses were frequently useless in drawing the 
cannon, which had then to be pulled or lifted by the men. In this 
manner ravines, ridges and heights were, passed, which but a few 
hours previous, presented difficulties apparently insurmountable. 
The advance of the column arrived at their destination about two 
o'clock, p. m., and the rear closed up at sundown. The nature of a 
siege generally prevents a display of individual abilities ; yet a num- 
ber of the generals in this memorable assault are mentioned by the 
commander with honor. Among these was Twiggs. 

N the march from Vera Cruz to the in- 
terior, General Twiggs led the van of 
the army. They advanced through the 
most beautiful natural scenery, and in 
three days reached a great mountain 
ridge, in view of the volcano of Orizaba. 
Among these towering heights, the Mex- 
ican chief was intrenched with eleven 
thousand men. The main army had 
not yet arrived; yet after a careful re- 
connoissance, (April 12th,) the intrepid 
veteran determined to lead his single 
division to the assault. But in the midst of his preparations, Major 
General Patterson arrived, and ordered the attack to be delayed until 
the arrival of the commander-in-chief. 

On the 17th, Twiggs stormed the redoubt below Sierra Gordo. 
During the night, a thousand men of his division were sent to place 
a battery on the captured height. The night was one of total dark- 
ness ; and yet three twenty-four pieces were to be carried up steep 
rocks five hundred feet high, by men who had toiled during five days, 
amid ravines, mountain ridges, and rapid torrents. Yet weary as 
they were, parched and enervated by thirst, they advanced cheer 




BATTLE OF SIERRA GORDO. 



863 




Eattla of Sierra Gordo. 

fully to their laborious task. Five hundred men drag their heavy 
cannon in slow and painful tread up the rugged ascent. There they 
pause, lock their wheels, and sink exhausted upon the ground. The 
remaining five hundred now advance, hegin their part, go some dis- 
tance, stop, and fall to rest. Thus alternately moving and pausing, 
they accomplish the work. 

Morning opened with a sight, thrilling to the soldier's bosom. Far 
stretching over the plain the veterans of Palo Alto, Monterey and 
Vera Cruz, were marching and countermarching under the eye of 
their general. High on precipitous cliffs, the few guns of the weary 
detachment were planted, shaded by the flag of our union ; while 
higher still black rows of cannon, thousands of muskets and lances, 
defended the frowning: bulwarks of Sierra Gordo. 

Soon the peals of heavy ordnance, the rattling of musketry, the 
wild war shout ringing and rolling amid the mountain cliffs, announce 
the opening of the battle. Up those dizzy heights, Twiggs and his 
men are climbing. All along the road, dust and smoke and fire, the 
blasts of batteries, and sweeping of shot, are before them. On they 
move with boding silence, their van under Colonel Harney. Friends, 
companions, are falling round, but they falter not. Companies are 
annihilated, regiments shattered under that driving hail; yet still 
they press on. Nearer and nearer they approach, while fiercer, and 
wilder, and more terrible grows the opposing fire. Now amid death 
and uproar, Harney leaps forward, as his shout rings like a spectre 
voice through that awful uproar. The next moment one withering 



864 DAVID E TWIGGS. 

sheet of fire, blazes like a volcano around him, his voice is drowned, 
and his form lost. But he lives ; his sword is gleaming through the 
smoke, and yet, dancing as it did before, is the wide starry flag that he 
bears. No one pauses, nor has time to pause ; Harney is before 
them, and the eye of Twiggs pierces through each recess of their 
columns. The astonished Mexicans, behold their coming and tremble ; 
then, Harney is on the wall, his men roll on like an avalanche, and 
the day is gained. The prophetic confidence of Scott, as expressed 
in his general order, had not been misplaced. 

After six days fighting and laboring, Twiggs might have been 
justified in retiring for some time to rest ; but in the arrangements 
consequent to the battle he was as active and indefatigable as he 
had beer, before ; and on the 19th we find him taking possession of 
Jalapa. 

Twiggs accompanied the commander in his march to the capital, 
and on the 1 9th and 20th of August assisted in the capture of 
Contreras and Churubusco. The former place was defended by 
twelve thousand men, and twenty-two pieces of artillery. The 
troops commenced the assault at about one o'clock p. m., on the 
lOlh, and continued fighting until night. After sleeping on the 
open field amid heavy rains, it was renewed on the following morn- 
ing. Soon after daylight all the works were in possession of the 
Americans, together with the cannon and two thousand prisoners. 

After this victory the brigades of Twiggs and Pillow continued 
their march to San Angel and Coyoacan, so as to get in the rear of 
San Antonio, which the enemy hastily abandoned, retreating to a 
bridge over a stream of water that crossed the road where they had 
a large fortification. A few hundred yards to the left of the road, 
was another fortification, containing a large convent, well garrisoned 
and fortified. Here the troops united with those of General Worth, 
and after sustaining a heavy fire for about an hour, assisted that 
gallant officer in carrying the fortress. The army then moved against 
Churubusco, which was captured after two hours resistance. In 
this assault, Twiggs directed his efforts principally against the church 
and outer fort. In the terrible battles attending the capture of the 
capital, Twiggs bore his full share. His veteran voice was heard 
amid the echoing cannon of Chapultepec, and along the roadside 
to Mexico. He is now with the commander at the capital. 

A daring bravery, and unflinching independence are the principal 
constituents in the character of General Twiggs. Moving under the 
genius of Taylor, he covered his name with glory, in the campaign 
of the Rio Grande, and during the march into the interior, he has won 
for himself a station among our generals scarcely second to any. 




BREVET MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM J. WORTH. 

ENERAL WORTH was born 
in the state of New York, and 
seems to have been intended 
by his parents for mercantile 
pursuits; but the disputes be- 
tween our country and England arising 
from the outrages of the latter upon the 
high seas, fired his mind with eagerness 
fo enter that profession in which he has 
since become so famous. On the 19th of 
March, 1813, he applied for and obtained 
a commission as first lieutenant in the '23d infantry. Soon after, he 
became acquainted with Colonel Scott, and was taken by that dis- 
tinguished man into his staff. In the capacity of aid-de-camp, he 
fought under him at Chippewa, and received the commendations ot 

55 




866 



WILLIAM J. WORTH. 




Battle of Palaklaklaha. 



General Brown; and soon after he was promoted (August 19th, 
1814,) to the rank of captain. 

In the great battle of Niagara, Worth was again with General 
Scott, in the thickest of the fray, delivering orders, bringing up com 
panies, and performing all the trying duties of his station. Frequently 
he was between two fires, and on several occasions narrowly escaped 
being killed. The battle was fought at night ; which circumstance 
caused so much confusion, that hostile troops occasionally passed 
each other without knowing it, and leaders of brigades even headed 
for a short time, companies of their antagonists. Brown and Scott 
were both severely wounded, and with them Worth. The gallantry 
of the latter elicited from his superiors the most, flattering notices, 
and he was soon after raised to the rank of major. In this capacity 
he served until the close of the war. 

Major Worth was intrusted with the superintendence of the military 
instruction in West Point Academy, a duty which he discharged in a 
manner highly creditable to his promptness, efficiency, and military 
knowledge. He was breveted lieutenant-colonel, July 25th, 1824, 
appointed major of ordnance in 1832, and colonel of the 8th infantry 
on the 7th of July, 1838. 

In May, 1841, Worth was intrusted with the command of the 
Florida war. In that territory he was doomed to contend with the 
same mortifying difficulties that had baffled all former commanders. 
More than one thousand troops were disabled by sickness. The 
Indians however had become discouraged by the battle of Okee- 



BATTLE OF MONTEREY. 



867 



chobee, and in August, Wild Cat and Coacochee surrendered with 
their parties. Other surrenders took place, until Worth announced 
to the department that the Florida war was ended. In this, how- 
ever, he was mistaken ; and having left the t< rrilory, lie was ordered 
back, in consequence of the recommencement of hostilities. 

On the 19th of April, Colonel Worth found the Indians in force 
in the big hammock of Palaklaklaha near the Okeehumphee swamp. 
He attacked them, and after a sharp conflict, cleared the swamp and 
gained a complete victory. The pursuit continued till dark and was 
renewed on the following day, the troops marching each day more 
than twenty miles. 

This action was the last important incident of the Florida war. 
Worth was rewarded by the brevet of brigadier-general. In May, 
1842, he received the surrender of Hallush Tustenuggee with eight 
of his band, and in the following August announced in general orders 
that the Florida war was ended 

N the march of General Taylor toward the Rio 
Grande, Worth was second in command, and 
planted the national flagon the banks of that river 
with his own hand. While preparations were 
making for the erection of a fori, Colonel Twiggs 
arrived, and claimed command next to Taylor, in 
consequence of his commission as colonel being 
dated previous to Worth's. The latter officer 
refused to yield, alleging that his having the brevet of brigadier- 
general gave him the priority. This involved the old question of 
brevet rank, a source of much dissension both in this country and 
England. The matter was referred to General Taylor, who decided 
in favor of Twiggs. Worth then threw up his commission, retired 
to Washington, and sent in his resignation to the adjutant-general. 
This was done under the belief that hostilities would not take place ; 
and on receiving intelligence of Taylor's danger, Worth immediately 
requested permission to proceed again to the Rio Grande. This was 
granted, and he arrived in time to take part in the capture of Mata- 

moras. 

At Monterey, General Worth was intrusted with the command of 
a division, to act against the forts west of the city. The movement 
was separate and independent of the commander-in-chief, lie 
marched from camp on the 20th, and bivouacked near the principal 
Mexican fortress called the Bishop's Palace. Next morning, after a 
toilsome march, the troops arrived near a hill commanded by large 
bodies of Mexicans. Here a raking fire was opened upon them, 
which increased as they advanced ; but they rushed on, sweeping the 




86S 



WILLIAM J. WORTH. 








Storaiia3 of the Bishop's Palace. 

Mexicans before them, until a large body of cavalry appeared in 
sight. A fierce conflict ensued, in which Captain McCulloch's ran- 
gers attacked the enemy hand to hand, and after a desperate conflict 
drove them from the height. 

Two companies of artillery and four of the Texas rangers under 
Captain C. F. Smith, were sent to storm the second height. In this 
perilous undertaking they were exposed to the whole fire of the 
enemy, while advancing over a space of five hundred yards. They 
moved with alacrity, and were soon hidden from the remainder of 
the army by a ridge of rocks. The 7th infantry under Captain 
Mile's was then sent to their assistance, and by taking a different 
route, arrived first at the base of the hill. Both detachments were 
soon advancing up the hill, driving the Mexicans before them. In the 
hurry of pursuit, the. Americans entered the fort at the summit, 
together wifh the enemy ; and soon the American flag was flying, 
and each gun employed against the Bishop's Palace. The victory, 
although destructive to the enemy, was attended with very little loss 
on the part of their assailants. 

The attack upon Ihe palace was intrusted to Colonel Childs. He 
left camp at three o'clock a. m., of the 22d, and with three companies 
marched over a road of the most harassing kind, until he arrived 
within one bundled yards of a Mexican breastwork of sand-ba<rs. 
Colonel Stamford and Major Scott then arrived with a howitzer, and 



CAPTURE OF THE BISHOP's PALACE. 



869 




the assault commenced. For a while the discharges of every species 
of fire-arms was deafening; but the grim walls of the castle defied 
the efforts of the Americans. 

UltlNG the attack, a large body of cavalry and 
infantry advanced vxilhout the J'alacc to attack 
the rangers. This was the signal for renewed 
efforts. The Mexicans were charged, broken, and 
driven into the works. So close was the pursuit 
that several rangers entered the gates with their 
antagonists. They were speedily seconded by the remainder of the 
detachment, and after a slight resistance, the Bishop's Palace was 
taken, and the garrison made prisoners. 

During these important operations General Worth behaved with 
all the judgment and intrepidity of a veteran. Whenever duty called 
he was in the thickest danger, and each soldier looked to him with 
implicit confidence in his ability. 

" On the 23d, General Worth entered Monterey with his whole 
division, and was soon involved in the stirring events attending its 
assault. As he rode from post to post amid the shots that, were 
(lying thick and fast around him, his fine form seemed to grow with 
the danger, and the sadness of a previous day was entirely absorbed 
in the excitement, of action, and (lush of victory. Here he remained 
in the very heart of the city, until news reached him that terms of 
capitulation were about to be offered, when he ceased all further 
operations."* 

Worth formed part of the commission to negotiate terms of capitu- 
lation for the city ; and some time after its capitulation he was sent 
to Saltillo with twelve hundred men and eight pieces of artillery. 
In December he apprised General Taylor of the expected attack of 
Santa Anna upon that position, and received large reinforcements; 
but in January 1847, he was sent to Vera Cruz to assist in General 
Scott's operations against that city. I lis troops were the first to 
organize after the landing near the castle ; and none were more con- 
stantly and efficiently in service during the siege, lie was president 
of the American commissioners during the negotiations for surrender, 
and afterwards was appointed by General Scott military governor of 

the city. 

At Sierra Gordo, Worth's brigade occupied the rearof the enemy's 
position on the main road to the capital, and assisted in cutting nil' 
retreat and capturing the fugitives. When all the Mexican works 
were carried, he joined in the pursuit, and on the 22d captured the 



Rough and Ready Annual. 



870 



WILLIAM J. WORTH. 









Puebla de los Angeloa. 

city of Perote with its castle. On the 15th of May, he took posses- 
sion of Puebla, after having had a slight skirmish with a body of 
Santa Anna's cavalry. 

Worth's division bore a full share in the toilsome march from 
Pnebla to the capital. On the 18th of August it reached a fortifica- 
tion near San Antonio, and on the same evening detached a party 
to reconnoitre that place. While in this service Captain Thornton 
was killed by a ball from a Mexican battery. A heavy rain then 
ensued, frustrating all hopes for an assault that afternoon, and all 
the troops were withdrawn to a neighboring hacienda. 

General Worth was engaged in the fierce conflicts of the 19th and 
20th of August, when he captured San Antonio, San Pablo, and, 
together with Generals Twiggs and Pillow, Churubusco. In all these 
brilliant assaults, his veterans won the highest commendations from 
the general-in-chief and the army. He thus describes the pursuit 
after the capture of Churubusco. 

The fire was then turned upon the church, and, after a few rounds, 
several white flags were thrown out by the enemy, the fire ordered to 
cease, and an officer despatched to accept the surrender of the place. 
To this period there had been no perceptible abatement of the fire 
from the town in the direction of our troops attacking the opposite face. 



BATTLE OF CIIURUBUSCO. 



871 



Immediately thereafter, our troops in the vicinity pushed on to the 
point where portions of Garland's and Clarke's brigades were yet 
engaged in hand-to-hand conflicts with the masses of infantry on 
the left and rear of the captured field work first referred to ; but, 
under the triple influence of our musketry, the capture of the tete 
de pont, and the silencing of the fire in the town, (directed upon 
other divisions of our army,) the main body of the enemy was soon 
discovered to be in full and confused retreat. Pressing along the 
highway in pursuit of the enemy, the division was soon intersected 
by the brigade of General Shields approaching from the left, with 
the remainder of his brave command, consisting of the South Caro- 
lina and New York regiments, and also by the arrival of Lieutenant 
Colonel Graham, with the small remains of his battalion of the 11th 
regiment of infantry ; these were a portion of the main army assault- 
ing, in the opposite direction of the town, the right and reserve of 
tin enemy, under the immediate direction of the general-in-chief. 
The pursuit of the enemy, by the first division acting in concert and 
cordial co-operation with these forces, was continued to within one 
mile and a half of the gate of Mexico, (La Candelaria.) At this 
point, ignorant first of the magnitude of the defences at the garita, 
and secondly of the ulterior views of the general-in-chief, I ordered 
a halt of the united forces, after consulting with Major-General Pil- 
low and Brigadier-General Shields. Colonel Harney coming up at 
this instant with two squadrons of cavalry, was permitted to make 
a dash at the rear of the enemy's retiring forces. In the eager pur- 
suit, the head of the column pressing on too closely, and disregard- 
ing or not hearing the commander's recall, came under fire of the 
battery, and suffered severely. The ground on which the troops 
operated, off the high road, is remarkably intersected ; loose soil, 
growing grain, and at brief intervals deep ditches, for the purpose 
of drainage and irrigation. 

When I recur to the nature of the ground, and the fact that the 
division, (two thousand six hundred strong of all arms,) was engaged 
from two to two and a half hours in a hand-to-hand conflict with 
from seven thousand to nine thousand of the enemy, having the 
advantage of position, and occupying regular works— which our engi- 
neers will say were most skilfully constructed— the mind is filled with 
wonder, and the heart with gratitude to the brave officers and soldiers 
whose steady and indomitable valor has, under sucli circumstances, 
aided in achieving results so honorable to our country— results not 
accomplished, however, without the sacrifice of many valuable lues. 
The little professional skill the commander may have possessed, was 
intensely exerted to spare the men ; and yet, with the utmost care, 



872 



WILLIAM J. WORTH. 



we have to mourn the loss, in killed and wounded, of thirteen offi- 
cers, and three hundred and thirty-six rank and file. Our country 
will lament the fate, and honor the memory of these brave men. A 
list of captured ordnance has already been handed in, as also of pri- 
soners, from generals down to privates. Of prisoners, we paused 
to make but few ; although receiving the surrender of many, to dis- 
arm and pass them was deemed sufficient. Among them, however, 
are secured twenty-seven deserters from oui own army, arrayed in 
the most tawdry Mexican uniforms. These wretches served the 
guns — the use of which they had been taught in our own service — 
and with fatal effect upon the persons of their former comrades." 

After the conclusion of the armistice, General Worth accompanied 
the commander-in-chief in a reconnoissance of the Molinos del Rey; 
and on the following day, [September 8th,] he was sent against that 
place. Contrary to expectation, a severe struggle ensued, in which 
it became necessary lo send Brigadier-General Cadwalader to Worth's 
assistance. Worth's report of this affair is as follows : 

" As the enemy's system of defence was connected with the hill and 
castle of Chapultepec, and as my operations were limited to a specific 
object, it became necessary to isolate the work to be accomplished, 
from the castle of Chapultepec and its immediate defences. To 
effect this object, the following dispositions were ordered — Colonel 
Garland's brigade to take possession on the right, strengthened by 
two pieces of Captain Drum's battery, to look to El Molino del Rey 
as well as any support of this position from Chapultepec ; and also 
within sustaining distance of the assaulting party and the battering 
guns, which under Captain Huger, were placed on the ridge, five or 
six hundred yards from E] Molino del Rey, to batter and loosen this 
position from Chapultepec. An assaulting party of five hundred 
picked men and officers, under command of Brevet Major George 
Wright, 8th infantry, was also posted on the ridge to the left of the 
battering guns, to force the enemy's centre. 

Accordingly, at three o'clock in the morning of the 8th, the 
several columns were put in motion, on as many different routes ; 
and when the gray of the morning enabled them to be seen, they were 
as accurately in position as if posted in midday for review. 

The early dawn was the moment appointed for the attack, which 
was announced to our troops by the opening of Huger's guns on El 
Molino del Rey, upon which they continued to play actively until 
this point of the enemy's line became sensibly shaken, when the 
assaulting party, commanded by Wright, and guided by* that accom- 
plished officer, Captain Mason, of the engineers, assisted by Lieu- 
tenant Foster, dashed gallantly forward to the assault. Unshaken 



ASSAULT ON THE CASA MAT A. 



873 



by the galling fire of musketry and canister that was showered upon 
them, on they rushed, driving infantry and artillery-men at the point 
of the bayonet. The enemy's field battery was taken, and his own 
guns were trailed upon his retreating masses ; before, however, they 
could be discharged, perceiving that he had been dispossessed of 
this strong position by comparatively a handful of men, he made a 
desperate effort to regain it. 

Accordingly his retiring forces rallied and formed with this object. 
Aided by the infantry, which covered the house-tops (within reach 
of which the battery had been moved during the night), the enemy's 
whole line opened upon the assaulting party a terrific fire of mus- 
ketry, which struck down eleven out of the fourteen officers that 
composed the command, and non-commissioned officers and men in 
proportion; including, amongst the officers, Brevet Major Wright, 
the commander ; Captain Mason and Lieutenant Foster, engineers, 
all severely wounded. This severe shock staggered, for the moment, 
that gallant band. The light battalion, held to cover Huger's bat- 
tery, under Captain E. Kirby Smith, (Lieutenant-Colonel Smith 
being sick,) and the right wing of Cadwalader's brigade, were 
promptly ordered forward to support, which order was executed in 
the most gallant style ; the enemy was again routed, and this point 
of his line carried, and fully possessed by our troops. In the mean- 
time, Garland's (1st) brigade, ably sustained by Captain Drum's 
artillery, assaulted the enemy's left, and, after an obstinate and very 
severe contest, drove him from this apparently impregnable position, 
immediately under the guns of the castle of Chapultepec. Drum's 
section, and the battering guns under Captain Huger, advanced to 
the enemy's position, and the captured guns of the enemy were now 
opened on his retreating forces, on which they continued to fire until 
beyond their reach. 

While this work was in progress of accomplishment by our centre 
and right, our troops on the. left were not idle. Duncan's battery 
opened on the right of the enemy's line, up to this time engaged ; 
and the second brigade, under Colonel Mcintosh, was now ordered 
to assault the extreme right of the enemy's line. The directum of 
this brigade soon caused it to mask Duncan's battery— the fire of 
which for the moment, was discontinued ; and the brigade moved 
steadily on to the assault of Casa Mata, which, instead of an ordinary 
field intrenchment, as was supposed, proved to be a strong stone 
citadel, surrounded with bastioned mtrenchments and rmpassable 
ditches-an old Spanish work, recently repaired and enlarged. When 
within easy musket range, the enemy opened a most deadly fire 
upon our advancing troops, which was kept up without mtermissun, 



874 WILLIAM J. WORTH. 

until our gallant men reached the very slope of the parapet of the 
work that surrounded the citadel. 

By this time, a large proportion of the command was either killed 
or wounded, amongst whom were the three senior officers present, — 
Brevet Colonel Mcintosh, Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Scott, of the 
4th infantry, and Major Waite, 8th infantry ; the second killed, and 
the first and last desperately wounded. Still, the fire from the cita- 
del was unabated. In this crisis of the attack, the command was, 
momentarily, thrown into disorder, and fell back on the left of Dun- 
can's battery, where they rallied. As the second brigade moved to 
the assault, a very large cavalry and infantry force was discovered 
approaching rapidly upon our left flank, to reinforce the enemy's 
right. As soon as Duncan's battery was masked, as before men- 
tioned, supported by Andrews' voltiguers, of Cadwalader's brigade, 
it moved promptly to the extreme left of our line, to check the 
threatened assault on this point. The enemy's cavalry came rapidly, 
within canister range, when the. whole battery opened a most effective 
fire, which soon broke the squadrons, and drove them back in dis- 
order. During this fire upon the enemy's cavalry, Major Sumner's 
command moved to the front, and changed direction in admirable 
order, under a most appalling fire from the Casa Mata. This move- 
ment enabled his command to cross the ravine immediately on the 
left of Duncan's battery, where it remained, doing noble service, 
until the close of the action. At the very moment the cavalry were 
driven beyond reach, our own troops drew back from before the 
Casa Mata, and enabled the guns of Duncan's battery to re-open 
upon this position, which, after a short and well directed fire, the 
enemy abandoned. The guns of the battery were now turned upon 
his retreating columns, and continued to play upon them until beyond 
reach. 

He was now driven from every point of the field, and his strong 
lines, which had certainly been defended well, were in our posses- 
sion. In fulfilment of the instructions of the general-in-chief, the 
Casa Mata was blown up, and such of the captured ammunition as 
was useless to us, as well as the cannon moulds, found in El Molino 
del Rey, were destroyed. After which, my command, under the 
reiterated orders of the general-in-chief, returned to quarters at 
Tacubaya, with three of the enemy's four guns, (the fourth having 
been spiked, was rendered unserviceable;) as also a large quantity 
of small arms, with guns and musket ammunition, and exceeding 
eight hundred prisoners, including fifty-two commissioned officers. 

By the concurrent testimony of prisoners, the enemy's force ex- 
ceeded fourteen thousand men, commanded by General Santa Anna. 




ADVANCE UPON THE CITY. {375 

in person. His total loss, killed, (including tnc 2d and 3d in com- 
mand, Generals Valdarez and Leon,) wounded and prisoners, amounts 
to three thousand, exclusive of some two thousand, who deserted 
after the rout. 

My command, reinforced as hefore stated, only reached three 
thousand one hundred men, of all arms. The contest continued two 
hours ; and its severity is painfully attested by our heavy loss of 
officers, non-commissioned officers and privates, including in the two 
first classes some of the brigthest ornaments of the service." 

URING the operations preparatory to the storm- 
ing of Chapultepec, Worth was incessantly in 
action. While the attack was raging at that 
place, one brigade of his division was sent to 
reinforce General Pillow, and soon after, with 
his remaining force, he received orders to assist 
f&J*' j§ *t|\^7*' i n i] ic pursuit. We annex his admirable de- 
scription of the advance to the capital : — 

" After advancing some four hundred yards, we came to a battery 
which had been assailed by a portion of Magrudcr's field guns — 
particularly the section under the gallant Lieutenant Jackson, who, 
although he had lost most of his horses, and many of his men, con- 
tinued chivalrously at his post, combating with noble courage. A 
portion of Garland's brigade, which had been previously deployed 
in the field to the left, now came up with, and defeated the enemy's 
right ; the enemy's left extending in the direction of the Tacubaya 
aqueduct, on which Quitman's division was battling and advancing. 
Pursuing the San Cosme road, we discovered an arched passage 
through the aqueduct, and a cross route practicable for artillery, for 
a considerable distance over the meadows, in the direction of the 
battery, and left of the enemy's line, which was galling, and endea- 
voring to check Quitman's advance. Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan, 
with a section of his battery, covered by Lieutenant-Colonel Smith's 
battalion, was turned off upon this route, and advancing to within 
four hundred yards of the enemy's lines, (which was as far as the 
nature of the ground would permit,) opened an effective fire — first 
upon the battery, and then upon the retreating troops, great num- 
bers of whom were cut down. Having thus aided the advance, and 
cleared the front (being favorably situated) of my gallant friend 
Quitman, as far as it was in my power, this portion of my command 
was withdrawn. The 2d brigade now coming up, the advance upon 
the main road was continued. We soon came up with and carried 
a second battery, and afterwards a third, both of them strong works, 
and enfilading the road. This brought us to the Campo Santo, or 



876 WILLIAM J. WORTH. 

English burying-ground, near which the road and aqueduct bend to 
the right. At this point the general-in-chief came up, with his staff, 
and instructed me to press on, carry the garita San Cosme, and, if 
possible, penetrate to the Alameda. Shortly after, Brigadier-Gene- 
ral Cadwalader reported to me, by the order of the general-in-chief, 
and later, between eight and nine p. m., Colonel Riley, with the 2d 
brigade, 2d division. The former was left in position at the Campo 
Santo, to hold that point, and look to the left and rear. The latter, 
coming up after the firing had ceased, was halted in rear of the 1st 
division, and entered the city with it on the morning of the 14th. 

Here we came in front of another battery, beyond which, distant 
some two hundred and fifty yards, and sustaining it, was the last 
defence, or the garita of San Cosme. The approach to these two 
defences was in a right line, and the whole space was literally swept 
by grape, canister and shells, from a heavy gun and howitzer, added to 
which severe fires of musketry were delivered from the tops of the 
adjacent houses and churches. It hence became necessary to vary 
our mode of operations. Garland's brigade was thrown to the right, 
within and masked by the aqueduct, and instructed to dislodge the 
enemy from the buildings in his front, and endeavor to reach and turn 
the left of the garita, taking advantage of such cover as might offer, 
to enable him to effect these objects. Clark's brigade was at the 
same time ordered to take the buildings on the left of the road, and 
by the use of bars and picks, burrow through from house to house, 
and in like manner, carry the right of the garita. While these 
orders were being executed, a mountain howitzer was placed on the 
top of a commanding building on the left, and another on the church 
San Cosme on the right, both of which opened with admirable effect. 
The work of the troops was tedious, and necessarily slow, hut was 
greatly favored by the fire of the howitzers. Finally, at 5 o'clock, 
both columns had reached their positions, and it then became neces- 
sary, at all hazards, to advance a piece of artillery to the evacuated 
battery of the enemy, intermediate between us and the garita. 
Lieutenant Hunt was ordered to execute this duty, which he did in 
the highest possible style of gallantry ; equally sustained by his 
veteran troops, with the loss of one killed and four wounded, out 
of nine men, although the piece moved at full speed over a dis- 
tance of only one hundred and fifty yards ; reaching the breastwork, 
he came muzzle to muzzle with the enemy. It has never been my 
fortune to witness a more brilliant exhibition of courage and conduct. 
The moment had now arrived for the final and combined attack upon 
the last stronghold of the enemy in my quarter; it was made by our 
men springing, as if by magic, to the tops of the houses into which 



ENTERING THE CITY. 



877 




they had patiently and quietly made their way with the har and pick, 
and to the utter surprise and consternation of the enemy, opening upon 
him, within easy range, a destructive fire of musketry. A single 
discharge, in which many of his gunners were killed at their pieces, 
was sufficient to drive him in confusion from the breastwork; when 
a prolonged shout from our brave fellows announced that we were 
m possession of the garita of San Cosrne, and already in the city of 
Mexico. 

AT this point we again had the pleasure to 
meet the president general-in-chief, took 
one of his aid-de-camps, Captain Jose 
Ma Castanary, and several superior 
officers, with many other equally unim- 
portant, prisoners ; and one of my most 
gallant and leading suballerns had the 
gratification of eating his excellency's 
i/^ x well-prepared supper. 

The remainder of the division was now 
marched within the city gate, and Captain Huger, of the ordnance, 
who had been directed by the general-in-chief to report to me, with 
heavy guns, some time before, was desired to advance a twenty-four 
pounder and a ten-inch mortar, place them in position at the garita, 
obtain the direction, and open a few shot and shell upon the grand 
plaza and palace, assumed to be about sixteen hundred yards distant. 
This battery opened at nine o'clock, three shots being fired from the 
gun and five from the mortar. They told with admirable effect, as at 
one o'clock at night a commission from the municipality came to my 
advanced post with a flag, announcing that immediately after the 
heavy funs opened, the government and army commenced evacuating 
the city, and that the commission was deputed to confer with the 
general-in-chief, to whose head-quarters it was passed under assistant 
Adjutant-General Mackall. At five a. M. on the 14th, my troops and 
heavy guns advanced into the city, and occupied the Alameda, to the 
point where it fronts the palace, and there halted at six o'clock, the 
general-in-chief having instructed me to take a position and await 
his further orders. Shortly afterwards, a straggling, assassin-like fire 
commenced from the house-tops, which continued in various parts 
of the city through the day, causing us some loss. The first shot, 
fired at a oroup of officers at the head of my column, struck down 
Colonel Garland, badly wounded ; and later in the day, Lieutenant 
Sydney Smith was shot down, mortally wounded— since dead. 

The free use of heavy battering guns upon every building from 
which fire proceeded, together with musketry from some of our men 



878 



WILLIAM J. WORTH. 



thrown out as skirmishers, soon quelled these hidden and dastardly 
enemies. About the time of our entrance into the city, the convicts 
in the different prisons, to the number of some three thousand men, 
were liberated by order of the flying government, armed and distri- 
buted in the most advantageous houses, including the churches, con- 
vents, and even the hospitals, for the purpose of exciting, if possible, 
the entire population of the city to revolt, and effect, by secret and 
dastardly means, what the whole Mexican army had been unable to 
accomplish. This was no time for half-way measures ; and if many 
innocent persons suffered incidentally, under the just infliction of 
punishment we found it necessary to bestow on these miscreants 
from the jails, the responsibility should rest upon the barbarous and 
vindictive chief who imposed upon us the necessity." 

We pass over the events of General Worth's life subsequent to the 
capture of Mexico, as not yet sufficiently understood to form a part 
of his biography. 





MAJOR GENERAL GIDEON J. PILLOW. 

IDEON PILLOW, the father of the present 
general, was a native of North Carolina, 
and son of John Pillow, and Ursula John- 
son, who soon after his birth, emigrated to 
Tennessee. This state was then [1789], 
a wilderness, infested by tribes of Indians, 
most of whom were hostile to the white 
settlers. In a skirmish with some of these, 
Gideon, the father, was killed, and the care 
of the family, numbering eight children, 
devolved on the two eldest sons, William and Gideon. Each of 
these young men distinguished himself, in the numerous expeditions 
against the Indians, and during the Creek war William served as 
colonel under General Jackson. He is still living, on his farm in 




880 GIDEON J. PILLOW. 

Maury county. Gideon died February 26th, 1830, leaving his widow 
with six children, among whom was the subject of our present sketch. 

Gideon J. Pillow was born in Williamson county, Tennessee, June 
10th, 1806. After graduating at the Nashville University [October 
1827,] he studied law, and in 1829 was admitted to the bar. His 
practice soon became extensive and lucrative. On the 24th of 
March 1831, he married Miss MaryE. Martin, of Maury county, by 
whom he has seven children. In 1844 he was appointed delegate to 
the Democratic National convention, which met at Baltimore. Within 
some years he has devoted himself principally to agriculture, into 
which he introduced several improvements. His farm is five miles 
east of Columbia. 

Pillow was appointed inspector-general of the state militia, by 
General Carroll ; and on the organization of the force destined to 
act against central Mexico, he was named by President Polk, major- 
general. 

In the hardships attending the sie°;e of Vera Cruz, General Pillow 
had the first opportunity of displaying his military talents. It was 
improved in a manner creditable to himself and his brigade. His 
men were continually on duty, encountering hardships of the most 
trying nature, but animated by the exhortations and example of their 
leader. After the cessation of hostilities, Pillow was appointed one of 
the commissioners to negotiate a surrender. 

The day previous to the attack upon Sierra Gordo, General Pillow's 
duties were defined in general orders as follows : — 

" Brigadier-General Pillow's brigade will march at six o'clock, 
to-morrow morning, along the road he has carefully reconnoitered, and 
stand ready as soon as he hears the report of arms on our right — 
sooner, if circumstances should favor him — to pierce the enemy's 
line of batteries at such point — the nearer the river the better — as 
he may select. Once in the rear of that line, he will turn to the 
right or left, or both, and attack the batteries in reverse, or, if aban- 
doned, he will pursue the enemy with vigor until further orders." 

The posilions thus marked out were situated near the river, and 
garrisoned by nearly three thousand men under General La Vega. 
Pillow's brigade charged vigorously, headed by the Tennessee 
troops ; but so determined was the resistance of the Mexicans, that 
it was obliged to retire ; a second attempt was attended by like 
results : while reorganizing, the fate of the enemy's main body under 
Santa Anna became known, and La Vega surrendered. The follow- 
ing paragraph from General Scott's report exculpates Pillow from any 
blame : — 

" General Pillow and his brigade twice assaulted with great daring 



BATTLE OP CONTRERAS. 



881 




Battle of Contreias. 



the enemy's line of batteries on our left; and though without success, 
they contributed much to distract and dismay their immediate oppo- 
nents." 

At Contreras, Pillow's division, comprising the brigades of Smith, 
Pierce, and Cadwalader, was the principal one engaged. The attack 
commenced on the afternoon of August 19th, and was continued 
until night with a violence, rarely equalled in Mexican battles. The 
enemy had twenty-two pieces of excellent cannon, all of which were 
well served. They numbered about seven thousand, and were 
entrenched behind walls, which apparently defied all assault. The 
Americans suffered great loss, and at the approach of night heavy 
rains obliged them to desist. They lay on the field all night, with- 
out tents or blankets, with the water pouring in streams around 
them. Before daylight next morning they were again led to the 
assault, and after a short but fierce struggle, stormed the works and 
entered them sword in hand. 

In this affair the Americans numbered about four thousand five 
hundred men. Beside being engaged with the garrison, they were 
perpetually in danger from about twelve thousand infantry and 
cavalry, who hovered in sight during the whole assault. Seven 
hundred Mexicans were killed, eight hundred and tlnrteen captured, 
including four generals and eighty-four other officers. Many colors 
and standards, all the cannon and immense stores of ammunition See, 
were also taken. Dunng both days, General Pillow set an example 

56 



882 GIDEON J. PILLOW. 

to his men of coolness, bravery and skill, which exerted a most 
beneficial effect throughout the army. 

After this victory, Pillow moved against the fortification of San 
Antonio ; but the garrison of this place, on learning the fate of 
Contreras, hastily abandoned their works and fell back upon Churu- 
ousco. " Upon the receipt of this information," he writes in his official 
report, "the general-in-chief immediately ordered Brigadier-General 
Twiggs's division to move forward and attack the work on the enemy's 
right, and directed me to move with Cadwalader's brigade and assault 
the tete de font on its left. Moving rapidly in execution of this 
order, I had great difficulty in passing the command over some 
marshy fields and wide and deep ditches, filled with mud and water. 
I was compelled to dismount in order to cross these obstacles, which 
were gallantly overcome by the troops, when the whole force gained 
the main causeway ; at which place I met General Worth, with the 
advance of his division, moving upon the same work. It was then 
proposed that our united divisions should move on to the assault of 
the strong tete de pont, which with its heavy artillery enfiladed the 
causeway. This being determined upon, the troops of the two divi- 
sions moved rapidly to attack the work on its left flank, and notwith- 
standing the deadly fire of grape and roundshot from the work, 
which swept the roadway with furious violence, on and onward these 
gallant troops moved with impetuous valor, and terrible and long was 
the bloody conflict. But the result could not be doubted. At length 
the loud and enthusiastic cheer of the Anglo-Saxon soldier told that 
all was well, and the American colors waved in triumph over the 
bloody scene." 

After the conclusion of the armistice and the destruction of the 
Molino del Rey, Pillow was ordered, (September 12th,) to occupy 
the latter position with his division, preparatory to assaulting Cha- 
pultepec. This drew him into frequent skirmishing with the enemy 
during the whole day. He describes these desultory operations, 
together with those of the 1 3th, as follows : — 

" Having organized a force for this purpose, under command of 
Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert, at daylight his command moved steadily 
and in beautiful order, under a hot fire of shot and shell from Cha- 
pultepec, and seized the mills. I ordered Brigadier-General Cad- 
walader with his brigade, to hold possession of this position, and to 
defend the approaches (which unite at that place) from the city of 
Mexico and from Santa Fe. In a short time afterwards an immense 
body of lancers, with a considerable force of infantry, made their 
appearance in the valley above me, and moved steadily forward in 
the direction of my position until almost within reach of my field- 



BATTLE OF CHAPULTEPEC. 



883 



pieces. With Brigadier-General Pierce's brigade, Magruder's battery, 
and Major Sumner's fine command of dragoons, (that officer having 
now reported to me for duty,) I made every arrangement for their 
reception. Having thus executed the orders of the general-in-chief, 
'to take possession of the mills, to hold them, and from this position 
defend the batteries intended to be opened, preparatory to the assault 
upon Chapultepec, and not to provoke a general engagement with the 
enemy,' I did not, under my orders, feel myself at libery to become 
the assailant, and the enemy regarding 'prudence as the. better part 
of valor,' did not think proper to assail me. 

General Pillow thus describes the capture of Chapultepec : " All 
being now ready and eager for the conflict, I ordered the batteries of 
my division silenced, and the command to advance — the general-in- 
chief having silenced the heavy batteries. 

" Having completed the dispositions for the assault, while a 
heavy cannonade was going on, Brigadier-General Cadwalader was 
directed to see to the proper execution of my orders. 

" The voltigeurs, having driven the enemy from the wood, rapidly 
pursued him until he retreated into the interior fortification. Close 
in their rear followed the 9th and 15th regiments, with equal impetu- 
osity, until these three regiments occupied the exterior works around 
the summit of Chapultepec. 

" Captain McKenzie's command had not yet come up. The 5th, 
6th, and 6th regiments of infantry of General Worth's division, 
ordered forward as a reserve, advanced to their positions and formed. 
As soon as Captain McKenzie's command was in position with the 
ladders, the work was almost instantly carried, and the Mexican flag 
torn from the castle by the gallant Major Seymour of the 9th regi- 
ment, and the American run up in its place." 

General Pillow's total loss in these conflicts, was one hundred and 
forty-three men. The division captured nearly eight, hundred prison- 
ers.' Next day it entered with the remainder of the army into the 
city of Mexico. 

General Pillow is in size rather below the medium height. He is 
remarkable for vigor and activity of body, and possesses considerable 
physical strength. His person is elegant, and he possesses an urbanity 
of disposition that renders him a favorite in whatever sphere he 
moves. He is said to be a devoted Christian, having the bible for 
his constant companion even in the camp. 




MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM 0. BUTLER. 




ENERAL BUTLER, one of the heroes of 
Monterey, was born of a family memorable for 
its military renown. His grandfather was a 
native of freland, but emigrated to America 
about the middle of the last century, and set- 
£>' tied in Pennsylvania. When the war of inde- 
pendence broke out, the whole male portion of 
his descendants, five stalwart sous, entered the 
army. The patriotism of the sire, and his children became so cele- 
brated that Washington once gave as a toast — "The Butlers and 
their five sons." La Fayette was accustomed to say of them — 
" When I wanted a thing well done, I ordered a Butler to do it." 

The subject of this biography was the second son of Percival 
Butler, the fourth in order of these five revolutionary brothers. 
William O. Butler had just finished his collegiate course, and was 
preparing to study law, when the war of 1812 broke out. The sur- 

884 



BUTLER WOUNDED AT MONTEREY. 885 

render of Detroit aroused the patriotism of every American, espe- 
cially of the sons of Kentucky. Among those who enlisted was 
voung Butler ; he entered as a private in Captain Hart's company 
of infantry ; hut before the army marched, was elected a corporal. 
Soon after he was made an ensign in the 17th infantry. This wing 
of the army, under General Winchester, advanced on the river Rai- 
sin, which they reached after a toilsome march in the dead of winter. 
No historian has as yet done justice to the privations endured by 
these brave Kentuckians. Buller was present at both the actions 
on the Raisin, and on each occasion displayed great intrepidity. In 
the first battle, which was fought on the 18th of January, 1814, the 
Americans were victorious. In the second and more memorable one, 
which occurred four days later, they were defeated. In this latter 
conflict Butler received a dangerous wound. 

Butler was one of the few wounded who escaped the massacre, 
by which Proctor violated his word, and earned for himself an im- 
mortality of shame. The young officer was marched through Canada 
to Fort Niagara, suffering with pain, hunger, fatigue and the incle- 
mency of the weather. His natural buoyancy of spirit did not, how- 
ever, give way, even under these discouraging circumstances ; and 
he whiled away his leisure by cultivating poetry, for which he had 
some talent. In 1814 he was exchanged, and joined General Jack- 
son in the south, with the rank of captain. He arrived at, head- 
quarters just in time to join in the attack on Pensacola, being the 
only offieer, at the head of the new Tennessee levies, who was thus 
prompt. Following General Jackson to New Orleans, he participated 
in the action of the 23d of December, 1814, which was preliminary 
to the great battle of the 8th, and exercised a powerful influence on 
the fortunes of that day. During the conflict, the commander of the 
regiment got lost in the darkness, when Butler, as senior officer, 
placed himself at the head of the men, and led them to repeated 
charges. He also fought at the more decisive battle of the 8th. 
For his meritorious conduct in this campaign, he was made a major 
by brevet. Soon after, General Jackson appointed him his aid-de- 
camp, in which situation he continued until he retired from the army. 

In 1817, with the rank of colonel, Butler retired to private life. 
He now resumed the study of the law, married, and settled on his 
patrimonial possessions at the confluence of the Ohio and Kentucky 
rivers. Here, for twenty-five years, he resided in comparative re- 
tirement, a mode of life admirably suited to his refined tastes and 
his fondness for domestic life. Without a particle of what is usually 
called ambition, he had no desire for popular office, except so far as 
he believed he could, by holding public trusts, be conducive to the 



886 WILLIAM O. BUTLER. 

common weal. At last, in a political crisis, he was induced by his 
friends to become a candidate for Congress. Twice he was elected, 
and would have been a third time, perhaps, had he not absolutely 
declined. In 1844 he became the candidate, of his party for go- 
vernor of Kentucky, when he assisted, by his general popularity, 
considerably to diminish the usual majority of the whig party : and 
this, notwithstanding his opponent was an estimable man. Butler 
belongs to the democratic side in politics. He has never, however, 
been considered a violent partisan. 

When the war with Mexico broke out, he was created a major- 
general. He marched with the Kentucky and other volunteers to 
the aid of General Taylor, and was with that hero at Monterey. In- 
this terrible siege Butler was second in command, and while leading 
his men with great bravery during the street fight, he was wounded 
and carried from the field. 

General Butler continued with the army for several months alter 
the storming of Monterey, and was in supreme command at Saltillo 
and other places. At last his wound, which had never healed, 
becoming excessively painful, and Santa Anna's advance being, it 
was believed, no longer to be dreaded, he solicited and obtained leave 
of absence, and returned to the United States, where he has since 
remained. 

" In person," says Kendall, " Genera] Butler is tall, straight, and 
handsomely formed; exceedingly active and alert — his mien is in- 
viting — his manners graceful — his gait and air military — his counte- 
nance frank and pleasing — the outline of his features of the aquiline 
cast, thin and pointed in expression — the general contour of his head 
is Roman. 

" The character of General Butler in private life is in fine keeping 
with that exhibited in his public career. In the domestic circle, 
care, kindness, assiduous activity in anticipating the wants of all 
around him — readiness to forego his own gratifications to gratify 
others, have become habits growing out of his affections. His love 
makes perpetual sunshine at his home. 

"Among his neighbors, liberality, affability, and active sympathy 
mark his social intercourse, and unbending integrity and justice all 
his dealings. It is too much the habit in Kentucky, with stern 
and fierce men, to carry their persona] and political ends with a high 
hand. General Butler, with all the masculine strength, courage, 
and reputation to give success to attempts of this sort, never evinced 
the slightest disposition to indulge the power, whilst his well-known 
firmness always forbade such attempts on him. His life has been 
one of peace with all men, except the enemies of his country." 




MAJOR GENERAL JOHN A. QUITMAN. 

-4^# . j»^v<aENERAL QUITMAN joined the army of occupa 
i^S^iW^V} lion during its march from Matamorasto Monterey 



^tfSmf)—^ He was intrusted with the command of the second 



brigade, volunteers, and on the 21st, distinguished 
himself by storming a battery and strong stone 
house belonging to the enemy. Early next morning, he was 
ordered to relieve Colonel Garland's command, which had 
occupied the captured posts since nine o'clock of the pre- 
vious morning. The march hither exposed his brigade to a 
severe fire of artillery from the works still in the enemy's pos- 
session, crossed by a fire from the citadel. When he reached the 
stations to be occupied, a heavy cannonade was opened upon him 
from surrounding fortresses, and continued with little intermission 
all day. During this time, the general was planning an attack upon 
the surrounding works ; but in the evening the appearance of some 

° 887 



888 JOHN A. QUITMAN. 

fifteen hundred Mexican infantry apparently ready for assault, caused 
him to abandon the idea of defensive operations. He accordingly 
remained in his position all night, the troops being obliged to sleep 
upun their arms. Next morning it was discovered that the enemy 
had abandoned the works in his vicinity, and retired toward the 
heart of the city. The general then ordered Colonel Davis to take 
possession of the abandoned works, which was immediately done. 

General Quitman now carefully reconnoitered the interior works, 
reporting his observations to the commander-in-chief, from whom he 
received permission to advance toward them, and if practicable to 
occupy them. " Wishing to proceed with caution," says the general, 
"under the qualified permission of the commanding general, I sent 
out a party of riflemen under Lieutenant Graves, to reconnoiter, sup- 
porting them at some distance by a company of Tennessee infantry 
under Captain McJIurray. Some active movements of the enemy 
in the vicinity, induced me to halt this party, and to order out Colo- 
nel Davis with two companies of his command and two companies 
of Tennessee troops to advance on these works. As the troops 
advanced, armed men were seen flying at their approach. Upon 
reaching the redoubt which had attracted our attention, we perceived 
that it was open, and exposed to the fire of the enemy from the stone 
buildings and walls in the rear. It was therefore necessary to select 
another position less exposed. Posting the two companies of infantry 
in a position to defend the lodgment we had effected, I directed 
Colonel Davis to post his command as he might deem most advan- 
tageous for defence or active operations, intending here to await 
further orders or reinforcements. In reconnoitering the place, several 
shots were fired at Colonel Davis by the enemy, and several files of 
the riflemen who had advanced to the slope of a breastwork which 
had been thrown across the street for the defence of the city, returned 
the fire. A volley from the enemy succeeded. Our party having 
been reinforced by additions from the riflemen and infantry, a brisk 
firing was soon opened on both sides, the enemy from the house-tops 
and parapets attempting to drive us from the lodgment we had 
effected. A considerable body of the enemy securely posted on the 
top of a large building on our left, which partially overlooked the 
breastwork, continued to pour in their fire, and killed private Tyree, 
whose gallant conduct at the breastwork, had attracted the attention 
of both his colonel and myself. From this commencement, in a short 
time the action became general. The enemy appearing to be in great 
force, and firing upon our troops from every position of apparent 
security, I dispatched my aid, Lieutenant Nichols, with orders to 
advance the whole of my brigade, which could be spared from the 



SIEGE OF MONTEREY. 



889 




Charge of Mexican Cavalry at Monterey. 

redoubts occupied by us. A portion of the Mississippi regiment 
under Major Bradford, advanced to the support of the troops engaged, 
but Lieutenant-Colonel Anderson with a part of the Tennessee regi- 
ment, was required to remain for the protection of the redoubts in 
our possession. With this additional force more active operations 
upon the city were begun. Detachments of our troops advanced, 
penetrating into buildings and occupying the flat roofs of houses, 
and by gradual approaches driving the enemy back. They had been 
engaged more than an hour, when they were reinforced by a detach- 
ment of dismounted Texas rangers, commanded by General Hender- 
son, with whose active and effectual co-operations the attack upon 
the city was gradually but successfully prosecuted. Buildings, 
streets and courts, were occupied by our troops without much loss, 
until after being engaged for about five hours, having advanced 
within less than two squares of the great plaza. Apprehensive that 
we mig-ht fall under the range of our own artillery, which had been 
brought up to our support, and our ammunition being nearly exhausted, 
active operations were ordered to cease until the effect of the bat- 
teries which had been brought forward into one of the principal 
streets could be seen." 

General Quitman was present at the siege of Vera Cruz, but was 
not able to reach the army at Sierra Gordo in time to share in that 
battle. During the actions of the 19th and 20th of August, he was 
ordered by General Scott to occupy a position in reserve, which de- 



890 JOHN A. QUITMAN. 

barred him from a participation in those glorious achievements. 
Part of his division, however, (Shields's brigade) was actively 
engaged. 

In the attack upon Chapultepec, Quitman with his whole division 
was engaged. On the day previous, (September 12th,) he was em- 
ployed in the preparations for attack ; and at night he advanced 
strong parties to prevent the Mexicans reinforcing the garrison. 
Several skirmishes took place, and the artillery was employed to 
rake the roads to the fortress. At dawn he opened all his batteries 
upon the castle, and was answered with great spirit by the garrison. 
Meanwhile active preparations were in progress for assaulting the 
works. Ladders, pickaxes and crows were placed in the hands of a 
pioneer party, of select men from the volunteer division, who were 
to accompany the storming party of one hundred and twenty men, 
under Major Twiggs. General Smith was ordered to move in reserve 
on the right flank of the assaulting column, protect it from skir- 
mishers, and if possible cross, during the assault, the aqueduct lead- 
ing to the city, turn the enemy and cut off their retreat. These 
dispositions being effected, the whole command advanced to the 
attack at a preconcerted signal, with confidence and enthusiasm. 
At the base of the hill constituting part of Chapultepec, and directly 
across the line of the troops' advance, were heavy batteries flanked 
on the right by strong buildings, and on the left by a heavy stone 
wall, about fifteen feet high, which extended around the base of the 
hill toward the west. 

The troops advanced over a low meadow, intersected by wet 
ditches, and covered with grass. A severe fire was poured upon them 
from the fortress, the batteries, and breastworks. General Shields 
was then directed to make an oblique movement, so as to bring his 
command to the wall, at the base of the hill. In doing so, he re- 
ceived a severe wound in the arm, but no persuasion could induce 
him to retire from the field. At the same time, General Smith 
drove back the skirmishing parties of the enemy, and placed his 
batteries behind General Quitman, so as to throw shot and shells 
into the fortress. 

Quitman now gave the signal for his storming parties to advance. 
They rushed forward with energy. The Mexicans fought with more 
than usual firmness, and for a short time the contest was hand to 
hand — bayonets crossing and rifles clubbed. But the charge was 
irresistible. All the batteries were carried, the works occupied, and 
the ascent to Chapultepec was laid open on that side. Five hundred 
and fifty prisoners, including one hundred officers, seven pieces of 
artillery, and one thousand muskets, were captured. At the same 



CAPTURE OF MEXICO. 



891 



time another portion of the division entered the main fortress, simul- 
taneously with Pillow's troops. 

Without pausing for rest, the division commenced its march for 
the city, taking the Belen road. One fortification after another was 
stormed under most galling fires, until the general had reached the 
garita, or principal gateway, into the city. Here the resistance was 
vigorous, being conducted by Santa Anna in person. It was finally 
carried, and the riflemen rushed forward to occupy the arches of the 
aqueduct, within one hundred yards of the citadel. Here the ammu- 
nition of the heavy guns became exhausted, and about the same time 
the lamented Captain Drum received a mortal wound. Lieutenant 
Benjamin shared the same fate. General Quitman thus describes 
the operations at that point :- 

" The enemy, now perceiving that our heavy ammunition had been 
expended, redoubled their exertions to drive us out of the lodgment 
we had effected. A terrific fire of artillery and small arms was 
opened from the citadel, three hundred yards distant from the batte- 
ries on the Pasco, and the buildings on our tight in front. Amid this 
iron shower, which swept the road on both sides of the aqueduct, it 
was impossible to bring forward ammunition for our large guns. 
While waiting the darkness to bring up our great guns and place 
them in battery, the enemy, under cover of their guns, attempted 
several sallies from the citadel and buildings on the right, but were 
readily repulsed by the skirmishing parties of rifles and infantry. 
To prevent our flank from being enfiladed by musketry from the 
Pasco, Captains Naylor and Loeser, 2d Pennsylvania regiment, were 
ordered with their companies to a low sand-bag defence, about a hun- 
dred yards in that direction. They gallantly took this position, and 
held it in the face of a severe, fire until the object was attained." 

The division remained in this situation until dawn of the follow- 
ing morning, when a white flag was sent from the city to head- 
quarters. General Quitman was soon after ordered to press forward 
and take possession of the national capitol ; and he had the honor 
of planting on that noble edifice the only foreign flag that ever waved 
there since the conquest of Cortez. He was appointed military 
governor of the city, a station which he filled until December, 1847, 
when he returned to the United States, and has since visited all our 
principal cities. 





BRIGADIER GENERAL JAMES SHIELDS. 




ENERAL SHIELDS is a native 
of Ireland. At the commence- 
ment of the Mexican war he held 
a civil appointment at the seat 
of government. He was ap- 
pointed brigadier-general of the regular 
army, July 1st, 1846. He joined the divi- 
sion of the centre, and proceeded with it 
to Agua Nueva, but was afterwards sent 
to Vera Cruz. During the siege of that 
place, he performed a distinguished part. 
At Sierra Gordo he conducted his volunteers against one of the ene- 
my's main works, and received a shot through the lungs which im- 
mediately paralyzed him. Contrary to expectation he recovered. 
During the first attack on Contreras (August 19th 1847,) General 
892 




SHIELDS AT CHURUBUSCO. 



893 



Shields was stationed at the hacienda of San Augustine, but late in the 
afternoon he was ordered forward 1o assist Colonel Morgan of Pil- 
low's division, who had been sent by the general-in-chief to occupy 
the Mexicans' position. Night, and the commencement of heavy 
rains, arrested the. operations, and the troops remained under arms 
until morning. 

At daylight dn the following morning, Shields pushed forward to 
the attack. On arriving near Contreras, he found that General 
Smith had already planned an attack upon it, and was moving with 
his troops to the assault. With commendable delicacy, General 
Shields refrained from assuming command, although he was the 
superior officer. Marching to the neighboring hamlet, he reserved 
to himself the double task of holding it with the New York and 
South Carolina volunteers, against ten times his numbers, hovering 
between him and the city, and, in case Ihe camp in his rear should 
be carried, of facing about, and cutting off the enemy's retreat. In 
both these objects he was singularly successful. When Contreras 
was carried he left his fires burning at the hamlet to induce the 
belief of his still being there, and moved rapidly to a concealed 
position, from whence he was enabled to open a fire upon the flying 
masses, as destructive as it was unexpected. 

The valuable service performed by Shields at Churubusco, is thus 
described by General Scott. " In a winding march of a mile around 
to the right this temporary division [two brigades and a rifle com- 
pany,] found itself on the edge of an open wet meadow, near the 
road from San Antonio to the capital, and in the presence of some 
four thousand of the enemy's infantry, a little in rear of Churubusco 
on that road. Establishing the right at a strong building, Shields 
extended his left parallel to the road, to outflank the enemy towards 
the capital. But the enemy extending his right supported by three 
thousand cavalry, more rapidly (being favored by better ground) in 
the same direction, Shields concentrated the division about a hamlet, 
and determined to attack in front. The battle was long, hot, and 
varied ; but ultimately, success crowned the zeal and gallantry of 
our troops, ably directed by their distinguished commander Brigadier- 
General Shields." 

Shields took three hundred and eighty prisoners, including officers ; 
and it cannot be doubted that the rage of the conflict between him 
and the enemy, just in the rear of the tete de pont and the convent, 
had some influence on the surrender of those formidable defences. 

" As soon as the tete de pont was carried the greater part of 
Worth's and Pillow's forces, passed that bridge in rapid pursuit of 
the flying enemy. These distinguished generals coming up with 



894 



JAMES SHIELDS. 



Brigadier-General Shields, now also victorious, the three continued 
to press upon the fugitives to within a mile and a half of the capital. 
Here Colonel Harney with a small part of his brigade of cavalry 
rapidly passed to the front and charged the enemy up to the nearest 
gate." 

Shields acted a glorious part in the attack upon Chapultepec. On 
the afternoon of September 1 1th, he was ordered by General Quit- 
man, to the village of Piedad, and at night to Tacubaya. Active 
preparations for storming the castle were continued on the 12th. 
Next day, after a toilsome march, the storming parties commenced 
their operations upon the works ; and while they halted for a short 
time under cover of some ruined buildings, Shields was directed to 
move his command obliquely to the left, across the low ground to the 
wall at the base of the hill. In doing so he was severely wounded, 
but refused to leave the field, and continued pursuing the enemy until 
the army had arrived before the city. 

Since the capture of Mexico, General Shields has returned to the 
United States and visited most of the principal cities of the Union. 
His reception everywhere, was such as his distinguished services 
deserve. 






MAJOR GENERAL ROBERT PATTERSON. 

^lENERAL PATTERSON is a native of Strabane, 
county Tyrone, Ireland. He was born the 12th of 
January, 1792. His father emigrated to America on 
the failure of the Irish rebellion, in which he was an 
actor, and settled in Pennsylvania. He seems to have 
intended his son for the mercantile profession, and in 
1806 obtained for him a situation in the establishment 
of Edward Thompson, who was then extensively engaged in com- 
merce. Here he remained until 1811, when his father emigrated to 
Tennessee. For some reasons now unknown, he returned to Penn- 
sylvania about the time of the declaration of war with Great Britain, 
and through the intercession of his friends obtained a commission 
as lieutenant. On April 19th, 1814, he was raised to captain, and 
served as such until the close of the war. 

Durin- the long peace that ensued, General Patterson employed 
himself in mercantile pursuits, by which he amassed a considerable 






896 ROBERT PATTERSON. 

fortune. When Harrisburg became the theatre of the lawless pro- 
ceedings known as the. " Buckshot war," he was employed by the 
state authorities to restore peace. He was also serviceable in the 
riots of 1844, at Philadelphia, at which time it was found necessary 
to order a large force to that city from different parts of Pennsyl- 
vania. 

On the 7th of July, 1846, immediately after receiving intelligence 
of the taking of Matamoras, the President of the United States 
appointed Patterson major-general in the regular army, in which 
capacity he proceeded to the Rio Grande. When the army of occu- 
pation marched, under General Taylor, toward Monterey, Patterson 
was left at Matamoras as commander-in-chief of all the forces in that 
district. During the movements against Santa Anna, subsequent to 
the capitulation of Monterey, he was unable to perform active ser- 
vice in consequence of indisposition. In January, 1847, he joined 
Scott's army before Vera Cruz, and was present during the siege of 
that city. Sickness obliged him to remain near the coast, after the 
army marched for the capital ; but he arrived near Sierra Gordo one 
day before the battle of April 18th. He was not in the battle, but 
arrived on the ground during the enemy's retreat, and assuming the 
command of Twiggs's brigade, joined in the pursuit. He was soon 
after permitted to return to Philadelphia with the volunteers, whose 
time of service had expired. x\fter arriving at that city, he was 
tendered a public dinner by a number of citizens, as a testimonial 
of their esteem. 

In the latter part of the summer of 1847, General Patterson was 
again ordered to the seat of war. He arrived safely at Vera Cruz, 
assumed command of the neighboring region, and commenced vigor- 
ous measures for the suppression of the numerous guerilla bands 
who infested it. Several famous chiefs were captured and hung. 
In this employment he remained until after the taking of the Mexi- 
can capital, when he set out to join the army of General Scott. He 
reached the city of Mexico in the latter part of November. 






ENERAL GEORGE CADWALADER was born 
in Philadelphia, and is grandson of General John 
Cadwalader, who conducted one of the divisions 
of Washington's army, in the expedition against 
Trenton, (December 26th, 1776,) and was subse- 
quently famous as a soldier and statesman. The 
illustrious deeds of his ancestor, united with his 
own personal worth, has given the present general a hold on the 
confidence and affection of his fellow citizens, inferior to that .,1 no 
military man in Pennsylvania. During the riots in Kensington in 
1844, he was sent by General Patterson, through permission of the 
authorities, to restore peace; and performed Ins delicate task in a 
manner creditable to himself and satisfactory to all. He was also 
engaged in suppressing the far more dangerous disturbances of the 
folfowmg July at Southward He was appointed bngad.er-general 
in the regular army, March 3d, 1847. 



897 



898 GEORGE CADW A LADE R. 

In the following July, General Cadwalader encountered a body of 
Mexicans at the national bridge, and defeated them. Previous to 
this, Captain Bainbridge with a small reconnoitering party had been 
roughly handled by a large Mexican force, and Colonel Mcintosh 
on his way to the main army with his command and an escorting 
train, compelled to halt and await reinforcements. General Cad- 
walader's movements at this time, and his subsequent victory are 
thus detailed in a letter from the seat of war : — 

" On the day Captain Bainbridge's party left Mcintosh's camp, 
General Cadwalader had arrived with a force of eight hundred men 
and two howitzers, and pushed on towards the national bridge. On 
approaching the bridge, General Cadwalader occupied the heights 
commanding the bridge, from which the enemy had fired on Cap- 
tain Bainbridge's party, where he was attacked by a large force of 
the Mexicans, posted on the ridges and in the chapparal, and some 
hard fighting was carried on for several hours, the Mexicans losing 
over one hundred men, and General Cadwalader losing some fifteen 
killed, and some thirty or forty wounded. The Mexicans were 
repulsed. The bridge was successfully passed by General Cadwala- 
der, who was on his way to Jalapa." 

In this action, the newly raised volunteers under Lieutenant 
Blakely, charged the enemy's defences on each side and completely 
swept 1hem. In passing through, he received a heavy fire from a 
party on the ridge, by which one man was killed and four were 
wounded, among the latter Blakely himself in the leg. Shortly 
afterward the whole command was attacked by a large party of 
guerillas, who kept up a considerable fire for a long time. The 
Mexicans lost about e hundred in this affair, the Americans about 
half that number, including fifteen who were killed. 

The battles before the city of Mexico afforded a new field of dis- 
tinction for General Cadwalader, where he gained for himself a 
reputation worthy of his illustrious lineage. When Contreras was 
assaulted, (August 19th,) by Smith's brigade, a body of several thou- 
sand cavalry were observed approaching for the purpose of relieving 
the garrison. Cadwalader was sent with his small command to keep 
these in check, and so effectually did he perform this duty that no 
decisive effort was made to throw reinforcements into the fortress. 
When the fort was taken, next day, he joined in the pursuit of the 
flying foe, and was instrumental in their entire discomfiture. 

On the 8th of September, he formed a reserve to assist General 
Worth in the storming of Molino del Rev. Contrary to expectation, 
Worth found the enemy so strongly posted, that his troops were 
obliged to give ground until Cadwalader arrived to his assistance. 



CADWALADER BEFORE MEXICO. 



S99 




Cadwalader checking the Mexican Ca~ 



That part of the action following the temporary repulse of the 
Americans, is thus described by a soldier who participated in it : — 

" General Cadwalader, seeing the situation of affairs, moved his 
brigade forward to retrieve the fortunes of the day. The voltigeurs, 
the advance regiment, was sent off to the left, to protect Duncan's 
light battery, which was playing on the mill, and to keep in. check a 
large force of the enemy, who then occupied a height near the scene 
of action. The duty was performed and the enemy driven back 
several times. * * * The 1 1th had to charge over the same ground 
where fell so many of our gallant troops, and every one looked for 
its annihilation. Their gallant leader, Lieutenant Colonel Graham, 
sat on his horse in the coolest manner, and gave his commands, as 
collectedly as when on a parade. * * * Now the enemy is vomiting 
his grape and canister upon them, and they leave a train of dead 
and dying. But their gallant commander waves his sword and they 
rush forward in full run. * * * The Mexicans are giving way before 
our gallant little band, who are now dealing vengeance and death on 
the murderers of their slaughtered countrymen." 

In the attack upon Chapultepec, and the capture of Mexico, Gen- 
eral Cadwalader again distinguished himself, and won for his native 
state a reputation second to none. He entered with the army into 
the capital, and has remained there until the present time. 




BRIGADIER GENERAL STEPHEN WATTS KEARNY. 





ENERAL KEARNY, is a 
native of New Jersey, and a 
graduate of Princeton College. 
On the 12th of March, 1812, 
he was appointed first lieu- 
tenant of the 13th infantry. He fought 
under Captain Wool at Queenstown, and 
was taken prisoner with the detachment 
of Colonel Scott. After being exchanged 
he, served with credit until the return of 
peace. After the war he was employed 
by government in the west, where, for 
many years, he endured all the labors of a border life, but gained 
invaluable information concerning the geography, topography, &c, 
of the distant regions he visited. 

On the 30th of April, 1846, Kearny was appointed brigadier- 
900 



CONQUEST OF CALIFORNIA. 



901 



general in the. regular army, and intrusted with the command of the 
forces destined to act against California and New Mexico. One 
month after (June 30th), he marched from Fort Leavenworth the 
rendezvous, toward Santa Fe. His force numbered sixteen hundred 
volunteers and regulars. After a march of eight hundred and seventy 
miles, often over burning deserts, destitute of water and vegetation, 
he took possession of the city about the middle of August. The 
oath of submission to the United States was administered to the 
civil and military authorities, and a proclamation issued by the general 
claiming all New Mexico for his government, and calling on the 
inhabitants to remain peaceable. After permitting some of the 
Mexican rulers to continue in office, and appointing Americans in 
place of others, Kearny marched for California. On the road he 
learnt that that country had already been conquered by Colonel 
Fremont, and sent back therefore the greater part of his forces to 
Santa Fe. 

The general had not proceeded far before he found that his fond 
hopes of a quiet submission on the part of the inhabitants were not 
to be realized. The Santa Feans became restless, and guerilla 
parties distributed throughout the territory, kept up a spirit of oppo- 
sition. On the 6th of December, he encountered one hundred and 
sixty of the enemy near the San Pascual. They were commanded 
by Andreas Pico. Captain Johnson charged them furiously with the 
advance, and was followed by dragoons. After a slight resistance, 
the enemy gave way. Their loss was considerable. Kearny had 
nineteen men killed, including Captains Johnson and Moore, and 
lieutenant Hammond, and fifteen wounded. The genera! was 
wounded in two places. 

On the 8th of January, 1847, General Kearny arrived at Ciudad 
de los Angelos, near which were the head-quarters of Commodore 
Stockton, who had lately assumed command of the American forces 
in California. Here a battle was fought with a considerable Mexi- 
can force, in which the latter was defeated. The loss on each side 
was trifling. 

Commodore Stockton now assumed command of the whole terri- 
tory, both as civil and military governor. To this Genera] Kearny 
objected, claiming for himself supreme authority, inasmuch as he 
held his commission directly from the president. Colonel Fremont 
became involved in the difficulty, in consequence of agreeing with 
Stockton. The latter left the territory soon aftet, and General 
Kearny arrested Fremont for disobedience of orders. The general 
then returned to the United States, where he is at present. 




LIEUTENANT COLONEL JOHN C. FREMONT. 




;OLONEL FREMONT was born in South Caro- 
lina, and received his appointment as second 
lieutenant of the topographical engineers, July 
7th, 1838. For several years before the war 
between our country and Mexico, he was engaged, 
under the distinguished Nicollet, at different times, 
in exploring our western regions, studying the productions of those 
distant parts, and the habits of the Indians, and conducting scientific 
expeditions into New Mexico. On the death of Nicollet he continued 
the exploration as commander of different expeditions. 

In May, 1845, orders were given to Colonel Fremont to organize 
a force of sixty-two men, and, crossing the Rocfty Mountains into 
Oregon, to find, if- possible, a shorter route from the base of the 
great mountain ridge to the mouth of the Columbia river. Other 
objects of less importance were designed by the expedition. On the 

902 



HIS MOVEMENTS IN CALIFORNIA. 



903 



route Colonel Fremont found it necessary to pass throuoh the terri- 
tory of California, including a part of the populated region. In the 
winter of 1845, he approached the town of Monterey, the capital 
of Alta California, and halting his command within one hundred 
miles, he went to the town alone, in order to explain to the magis- 
trates the objects of the expedition, and obtain authority for wintering 
in the vicinity. The Mexican governor acknowledged himself satis- 
fied, and granted the valley near the San Joaquin for the encamp- 
ment of the Americans. 

When the expedition reached the valley, they were surprised by 
the intelligence that General Castro, with a large Mexican force of 
horse, foot and artillery, were marching against him. Reports were 
also circulated among the inhabitants that' the real object of the 
Americans was to ascertain the condition of the country, in order to 
render the knowledge so acquired serviceable, if war should occur. 
Determined to maintain his position, Colonel Fremont withdrew his 
men to a hill, raised the national flag, and commenced fortifying his 
camp. After remaining three days he broke up his camp, and pro- 
ceeded toward Oregon. About the middle of May he had reached 
the Harnath lake, in the vicinity of which were hundreds of hostile 
Indians, who, excited by the Mexicans, were eager for his destruc- 
tion. Before he had decided upon his future course, Castro again 
approached him with four hundred men and some artillery. He now 
determined to act on the defensive, and after defeating Castro, to 
conquer the whole province in the name of the United States. This 
bold resolution was taken at a time when no prospect of succor 
appeared, and before news of Taylor's victories in May, or of the 
declaration of war had penetrated those distant, regions. 

On the 1 1th of June, two hundred horses, destined for Castro's 
camp, were taken by twelve of Fremont's men. Four days after, 
an attack was made on a small fortification called Sonoma. It was 
surprised, the garrison captured, together with nine brass cannon, 
and more than two hundred muskets. After, leaving this place, its 
small garrison was threatened by Castro's forces. On receiving intel- 
ligence of this movement, Fremont immediately returned, and sent 
out scouting parties. One of these, numbering twenty men, attacked 
more than three times their number of Mexican cavalry, under De 
la Torre, and defeated them. Fremont then declared the province 
independent of Mexican control, and having augmented his force to 
one hundred and sixty men, by volunteers from the settlers, he began 
a rapid pursuit of Castro. On arriving at Ciudad de los Angelos, 
he was joined by the American force under Commodore Stockton, 
and apprised of the existence of the war. The city was then occu- 



904 



JOHN C. FREMONT. 



pied as an American station, a territorial government established, 
and Fremont appointed governor. 

In the dispute between Kearny and Stockton. Colonel Fremont 
took part with the latter, and was consequently arrested by the 
general, and sent to the United States. He arrived at Washington 
about the middle of 'September, 1847, and reported himself to the 
adjutant general under arrest. A court martial was organized, and 
after a laborious investigation of more than two months' duration, 
rendered a decision which tended rather to enhance the character of 
Colonel Fremont in the public esteem. 




Mexican Gentlemen. 




COLONEL JOHN COFFEE HAYS. 




this 



HIS brave officer was born in 
Wilson county, Tennessee, 
about the year 1818. His life 
has been a series of daring 
adventures. He performed 
valuable service in the Texan revolution, 
and afterwards fought many battles with 
the Camanche and other Indians. In 
these he displayed so much coolness, 
skill and valor, that his name was re- 
garded with awe by the savages. A nar- 
rative of his personal adventures during 
desultory border warfare would fill a large volume. He was 

J 905 




906 JOHN C. HAYS. 

subsequently employed as a surveyor, in which occupation he con- 
tinued with occasional interruptions, until the war between Mexico 
and the United States. 

On receiving news of the battles near the Rio Grande, he imme- 
diately voluntered his services to the state government of Texas, and 
was appointed colonel of the mounted rifles. He joined General 
Taylor after the taking of Matamoras, and soon gave indications that 
he was in a sphere of duty highly congenial to his feelings. By 
order of the commander he took possession of Camargo. During the 
march to Monterey his men were conspicuous for their indefatigable 
execution of the most laborious duties. In the operations before 
Monterey, " Hays's Texas rangers'' was a spell word of terror to the 
Mexicans. " The general feels assured," says Worth, in his order 
subsequent to the capitulation, " that every individual in the com- 
mand unites with him in admiration of the distinguished gallantry 
and conduct of Colonel Hays and his noble band of Texan volun- 
teers. Hereafter they and we are brothers, and we can desire no 
better guarantee of success than by their association." 

The personal appearance of Colonel Hays is thus described by his 
friend and companion Lieutenant Reid. 

" As we cast our eye around the group, we tried to single out the 
celebrated partisan chief, and were much surprised when presented 
to a delicate looking young man, of about five feet eight inches in 
stature, and told that he was our colonel. He was dressed very 
plainly, and wore a thin jacket with the usual Texan hat, broad 
brimmed with a round top, and loose open collar with a black hand- 
kerchief tied negligently about his neck. He has dark brown hair 
and a large and brilliant hazel eye, which is restless in conversation, 
and speaks a language of its own not to be mistaken, with very 
prominent and heavy arched eyebrows. His broad, deep forehead 
is well developed ; he has a Roman nose with a finely curved nostril, 
a large mouth with the corners tending downwards ; a short upper 
lip, while the under one projects slightly, indicative of great firm- 
ness and determination. He was naturally of a fair complexion, but 
from long exposure on the frontier, has become dark and weather- 
beaten. He has rather a thoughtful and care-worn expression from 
the constant exercise of his faculties ; and his long acquaintance 
with dangers and difficulties, and the responsibilities of a commander, 
have given him an habitual frown when his features are in repose. 
He wears no whiskers, which gives him a still more youthful appear- 
ance, and his manners are. bland and very prepossessing, from his 
extreme modesty." 





LIEUTENANT COLONEL CHARLES A. MAY. 

,OLONEL MAY was born in the city of 
Washington, and is son of the late Dr. May. 
He served in the second Florida war as 
lieutenant in the 2d dragoon regiment, and toward 
the close of that arduous struggle succeeded in cap- 
turing the famous Indian chief, Philip. After this 
event', he appears to have remained in Washington 
until the opening of the Mexican war, when, like many others who 
had served in Florida, he joined the corps of observation, under 

General Taylor. 

May's services on the Rio Grande form one of the most brilliant 
pages in the history of that eventful period. As captain of dragoons 
he accompanied the army (May 1, 1846) in the march from the for 
opposite Matamoras to Point Isabel, when the latter was threatened 
by a superior force. During the cannonading of Fort Brown by the 



908 CHARLES A. MAY. 

batteries in Matamoras, May was sent, in company with Captain 
Walker, to open a communication with that post. Passing by night 
along the front and one flank of the Mexican host, he arrived safely 
at his destination, and despatched Walker to the fort. About day- 
light he commenced his return, and in a few hours arrived safe at 
Point Isabel. 

Tn the battle of Palo Alto, May was ordered to strengthen the 
left flank of the army, and support Captain Duncan's battery. In 
doing so, he sustained some loss. Toward the close of the day, fur- 
ther orders were issued to his squadron for charging the enemy's 
cavalry ; but this he was unable to perform in consequence of the 
great disparity of force. On the following day, he made his famous 
charge at Resaca de la Palma. " I remained in position," says his 
official report, " about three quarters of an hour, when I received 
orders to report with my squadron to the general. I did so, and was 
ordered by the general to charge the enemy's batteries and drive them 
from their pieces, which was rapidly executed, with the loss of Lieu- 
tenant Inge, seven privates, and eighteen horses killed, and Sergeant 
Muley, nine privates, and ten horses wounded. * * * We charged 
entirely through the enemy's battery of seven pieces. * * * The charge 
was made under a heavy fire of the enemy's batteries, which accounts 
for my great loss. After gaining the rising ground in the rear, I 
could rally but six men, and with these I charged their gunners, who 
had regained their pieces, drove them off, and took prisoner General 
Vega, whom I found gallantly fighting in person at his battery." 

While May's squadron was passing down to this charge, it was 
stopped by Lieutenant Ridgely, and detained until he had drawn 
the enemy's fire. But for this timely interference of the intrepid 
artillerist, May's command might have been annihilated before 
reaching the Mexican position. 

May was present at Monterey, although the greater part of his 
command was out of service, owing to the nature of the opera- 
tions. At Buena Vista he was in company with Pike's squadron, 
and moved through every part of the field with such irresistible 
effect, as to strike terror into the enemy. On one occasion he 
manoeuvred more than an hour to draw a detachment of six thou- 
sand lancers into a ravine, where he could rake them with Bragg's 
battery, and then follow up the confusion in their ranks by a vigorous 
charge. At the moment when he seemed sure of success, hostili- 
ties were temporarily stopped by a flag of truce to Sanla Anna from 
tbe American general. His mortification and chagrin, at this unex- 
pected disappointment, were extreme. Soon after this battle Colonel 
May returned to the United States, where he still remains. 




MAJOR BENJAMIN McCULLOCH. 




.AJOR McCULLOCH is a native of Ruth- 
I erford county, Tennessee. His father was 
an officer under General Jackson during- 
the wars with the southern Indians. The 
was born about the year 1814. Being placed 
100I at an early age, he acquired an education 
ior to that which commonly falls to the share 
of a woodsman's son. At fourteen he left school, 
and while engaged in the arduous life of a western settler, soon 
distinguished himself by his intrepidity and success. Hunting bears 
was a favorite amusement in which he excelled. At twenty-one he left 
Dyer county, whither his father had removed, and went to St. Louis 
to join a company of trappers. In this he was disappointed ; and 
after ineffectual efforts to unite himself with other expeditions, he 
decided to remain in the United States. 

909 



910 



BENJAMIN MCCULLOCH. 



The war between Texas and Mexico, roused McCulloch from bis 
obscurity, and he immediately determined on joining the expedition 
of Colonel Crockett destined for Texas. Much to his disappoint- 
ment the expedition left the place of rendezvous, some days before 
his arrival there. Eager however to join them at all hazards, he set 
out by himself, but on arriving at the Brazos was taken sick. The 
next intelligence of the expedition was in connection with the 
massacre of the Alamo. His disappointment had saved his life. 
Subsequently he fought at San Jacinto, and was with the expedition 
which fought at Mier, previous to its surrender. He then settled in 
Gonzales county, and pursued the occupation of surveyor. 

Major McCulloch joined the army of occupation immediately 
after the capture of Matamoras. He was then stationed at Reynosa 
with the battalion of Lieutenant-Colonel Watson, but afterwards 
sent against China, which he entered without opposition. With his 
rangers he was employed as a scout, during the march to Monterey, 
and exercised such continual vigilance that the general was informed 
of all Ampudia's movements, almost as soon as they were executed. 
General Taylor pronounced his services invaluable. In advancing 
toward the town of Marin, McCulloch formed the advance ; and at 
the village of Ramos they routed two hundred Mexican horsemen. 
Marin was captured without opposition. 

At Monterey, McCulloch was a terror to the Mexican lancers. 
He marched with the second division, and on the hills around the 
Bishop's Palace had several fierce skirmishes with the enemy, in all 
of which he was successful. He was with Smith's party at the 
storming of Federacion Hill, and the capture of the Bishop's Palace. 
On the 23d, his men were employed in breaking open doors and 
windows at Monterey, and digging through houses toward the prin- 
cipal plaza. 

After the fall of Monterey, Major McCulloch with sixteen rangers 
was sent to San Antonio. On the. way he had a fight with some 
Indians, but experienced no loss. He was afterwards employed in 
watching the movements of Santa Anna, and on several occasions 
escaped capture, only by the most collected courage. Almost all 
the knowledge by which General Taylor was enabled to make his 
masterly arrangements at Buena Vista, was obtained through McCul- 
loch. In the battle the major was conspicuous for coolness, skill 
and bravery, eliciting high commendation from Generals Taylor and 
Wool. At the disbandment of the Texas rangers soon after this 
battle. Major McCulloch returned home. 




CAPTAIN SAMUEL HAMILTON WALKER. 




APTAIN WALKER'S life was one of 
daring and romantic adventure. During 
life he possessed an influence over the 
affections of his countrymen of which few 
men could claim a share ; and even after his death 
the name of the Texas ranger is a spell word to con- 
jure up feelings deep and powerful. 
Captain Walker was born about the year 1817, in Prince George 
county, Maryland. He served with distinction in the Florida wai 
under Colonel Harney. In 1834, he joined Hays's rangers, and soon 
after with fourteen other associates he fought eighty Camanche 
Indians, leaving thirty-three of them upon the ground. He was run 
through the body with a spear, but recovered. He was with the 
Mier expedition, and when captured, was marched with other 
prisoners into Perote. The sufferings of these men are well known ; 
they were several times decimated, and after escape were recaptured 

J 911 



912 



SAMUEL H. WALKER. 



and subjected to the most intense sufferings. Walker with eight 
men finally escaped ; but so emaciated were they on reaching Texas, 
that the captain describes their cheek bones as standing out like 
cow's horns. 

While General Taylor lay at Fort Brown, prior to the opening of 
the Mexican war, Walker arrived at Point Isabel and offered his 
services to Major Munroe. He several times passed between the 
two depots with but a few men, and when the whole. Mexican army 
was on the. alert to intercept him. On one occasion he was surprised 
with seventy-five men, by fifteen hundred Mexicans, and driven into 
Point. Isabel. On another occasion, with twelve men he routed six 
times his number. 

Walker fought with bravery at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. 
He was rewarded by government by the commission of captain in 
the regiment of mounted rifles. He afterwards visited his native 
state, and raised a company of two hundred and fifty rangers, with 
whom he proceeded to the seat of war, and cleared the vicinity of 
the main army of the guerilla parties. On the 20th of Septem- 
ber, 1847, he fought, at the battle of La Hoya, under Colonel 
Wynkoop. On the 9th of October he was sent by General Lane in 
advance of that officer's command to take possession of Huamantla. 
Walker galloped into the city, routed a small force stationed there, 
and captured their cannon. Most of his men then dismounted, and 
separated from each other. While in this condition they were unex- 
pectedly charged by a large body of infantry and lancers, and driven 
into the main plaza. Here they fought heroically, charged the enemy 
and drove them back. But in the conflict, the gallant, captain fell 
mortally wounded. His death was mourned by the army and his 
country as a national calamity. 





COLONEL JEFFERSON DAVIS. 




OLONEL DAVIS, was born in the state of 
? p Kentucky in 1808. After passing through 
the Transylvania University and the National 
Academy at West Point, he entered the army 
as Brevet second Lieutenant of the first In- 
fantry, July 1, 1828. He remained with this 
branch of the service until March 4, 1833, 
when he was transferred to the first regiment of dragoons, but re- 
signed his commission in 1835. Returning to Mississippi the state 
of his adoption he engaged largely in cotton planting, hy which he 
seems to have acquired some wealth. In 1844 he was appointed 
democratic Presidential elector for Mississippi, and in the following 
year was elected a member of the representative branch of the 
national Legislature. In the summer of 1846, immediately after 
General Taylor's call upon the state Governors for more troops, 

58 e:» 



914 



JEFFERSON DAVIS. 




City and Citadel of Monterey. 

Jefferson Davis was chosen Colonel of the first regiment of Missis- 
sippi Volunteers. Fired with the ardent enthusiasm of the day, he 
immediately resigned his seat in Congress and joined his regiment : 
then en route for Mexico. They were attached to General Quitman's 
brigade, and during the summer of 1846, joined General Taylor, 
previous to his march on Monterey. 

During the operations before Monterey, Colonel Davis's Mississip- 
pians were engaged in storming the redoubts on the eastern side of 
the city, where the battle raged with more violence than in any other 
part of the field. The walls and houses on this side were one great 
fort, the defences of which being almost impervious to cannon shot, 
had to be carried inch by inch with the bayonet. Every street and 
alley was raked with the enemy's fire, the discharges crossing and 
recrossing each other in every direction. Colonel Croghan, the 
veteran hero of Fort Sandusky, pronounced the scene unprecedented 
in his experience. Through these murderous showers, Colonel Davis 
led his shattered columns, their ranks thinning at every step, and the 
groans of dead and dying, adding horror 1o the din of battle. When 
near the enemy's second fort they poured forth their rifle volJies, and 
rushed forward to scale the walls. At the same moment the Tennes- 
see troops were advancing toward the same object. Amid withering- 
fires, with the dead dropping in scores around, these representatives 




Battle of Buena "Vista. 

of sister states, strove, in noble rivalry for precedence. Nothing 
could surpass the brilliant charge of Davis's men, and they arrived 
first at the fort. Colonel McClung leaped the ditch, mounted the 
parapet, and, sword in hand, sprang headlong among the enemy. 
In one dense mass (he whole regiment followed shouting tones of 
victory, which rang above the uproar of battle. The garrison were 
routed as though by magic, and one of the strongest positions of 
the town secured to the Americans. During the whole three days 
that the siege lasted Colonel Davis's labors were equally dangerous 
and successful. He was honored by the general-in-chief, by being 
appointed one of the commissioners to negotiate the capitulation, 
and has ever been one of the warmest defenders of that measure. 

But great as were the colonel's services in this battle, his military 
fame depends principally upon his heroic conduct at Buena Vista. 
At one crisis of that eventful struggle, he sustained the united shock 
of the Mexican cavalry and infantry, and by his masterly conduct, 
not only preserved his little handful of riflemen from being over- 
whelmed, but saved the American army from inevitable deieat. 
His men were posted on a plateau, behind the Kentucky and second 
Indiana regiments. The mortifying retreat of the latter is well 
known. Colonel Davis used every exertion to arrest it, but in vain. 
Their withdrawal left his troops exposed to the charge of an immense 
body of lancers and infantry, who elated by success, made the field 
ring with their shouts, overwhelmed Captain Brien and captured hia 



916 



JEFFERSON DAVIS. 



guns, and then poured on against the Mississippians. This was the 
decisive moment, when a retreat would have been ruin. Undismayed 
by the fearful odds, the Colonel threw his command into the form 
of a V with the opening toward the enemy ; while riding coolly along 
the ranks, he exhorted them to rememberthat the honor of their native 
state was entrusted to their hands. The appeal was electrifying. 
Each forgot all danger in his eagerness to close with the enemy. On 
the Mexicans rushed at a full gallop. They were allowed to approach 
near enough for their features to become visible, when one wide 
sheet of fire opened to their astonished gaze, pouring forth a storm 
of iron hail that swept down horse and rider in promiscuous slaughter. 
Rallying, they renewed the charge, but again and again were they 
beaten back, until fear and confusion destroyed all obedience, and 
their officers in vain urged them on. Struck with dismay the lace- 
rated columns heaved back, as in mad confusion horse trod down 
horse, crushing into the earth wounded and dying. It was -a horrible 
moment, but it wrested from Santa Anna, the victory of Buena 
Vista. 

In this action Colonel Davis was severely wounded, and not long 
after he returned to the United States. He now occupies a seat in 
the Senate chamber of Congress, to which he was appointed by the 
executive of Mississippi in 1847. 

Besides passing through the trying events of the Mexican war, 
Colonel Davis was engaged with the army in the pursuit of Black 
Hawk, and as a member of the dragoon regiment assisted in con- 
quering the Camanches and Pawnee Indians in 1836. In 1835 he 
was married to Miss Sarah Knox Taylor, the second daughter of 
the present Major-General Taylor, but she died during the same 
year. Colonel Davis is said to have been offered a brevet of briga- 
dier general, and to have declined it. 




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